The Life Debt
by avidgokufan
Summary: Chapter 11! Update! During The Witch, Buffy is sent to another dimension where it is predicted the Dark place will have her soul. Set 5 years before a New Hope. Will continue through Star Wars Trilogy as well. BuffyStarWars Crossover.
1. Prologue

A/N: Hello Everybody! For those of you who've read my past stories, don't worry, I'm not abandoning them, but currently my laptop is on the blink, so while I can't access any chapters I decided to try writing under a different Genre. This is my first Buffy Crossover story, so I hope you like it. There will be no smut or swearing, and if people require that for a story to be good, they need to get out more. There might possibly be a bit of romance though as the story progresses. This is Buffy-centric.

Disclaimer: I do not own Buffy or Star Wars. I can guarantee I never shall. This is for pure entertainment.

Anyway, on to the story:

Prologue

Catherine Madison tipped her head back, and in a voice filled with power intoned, "I shall look upon my enemy." She brought her head down her gaze locked on Buffy and Catherine's eyes became pitch black as she continued, "I shall look upon her and the dark place will have her soul!"

Frantically, Buffy looked for some way out of this mess. It had been a crazy day already, and she definitely didn't want to end it with her soul in a dark place. She spotted a mirror above her head and a slowly a smile darted across her lips.

Swooping her hands forward, Catherine roared, "Corsheth, take her!"

Buffy jumped and as the beam enveloped her and she began to feel herself fading, her foot caught the mirror. The last thing she saw was the remainder of the beam hit Catherine and then both of them vanished in a flash of light. Buffy's last thought was, "At least the others will be safe now." Then, her vision faded into blackness.

When Buffy next opened her eyes, she found she was laying on her back on blistering hot sand. Above her in the air hung two red suns, and Buffy suddenly found herself very thirsty. Hearing strange noises, she groggily lifted her head and just barely ducked again to avoid being hit by what looked like a red flash of light.

"Ergh," she groaned, putting her hand to her head, "who ordered the fireworks?"

She suddenly heard a bellow of pain, and she attempted to lift her head again to see where it was coming from. The sight in front of her was unlike any she had ever seen. Seven large reptilian looking creatures, that Buffy guessed were demons were firing guns that shot laser-like lights out of the end of them. All seven were shooting at a large, furry bear-looking creature that was running and dodging more quickly than she would have expected for something that size. The creature seemed to be holding its own as it dodged and shot with a crossbow thingie. With a well-placed bolt, it brought the number of opponents down to six. However, as Buffy watched, fascinated, its luck seemed to run out. One of the reptile's light bolts scored along the creature's leg and with another bellow of pain, its leg gave out leaving it on its knees before its enemies. As the reptilian creatures ceased firing and walked closer, pointing their guns at its head, Buffy could sit still no longer. Flipping to her feet, she seized a rock from the ground and threw it with perfect accuracy at the head of the closest demon to her. It struck the reptile demon in the head with such force that he was knocked over into its fellow demons with a domino-like affect.

All six of the reptile demons lifted themselves on their elbows to see who their attacker was. Whatever they were expecting, it certainly wasn't what they found. A young human girl, who couldn't have been more than 16 stood over them, her arms folded contemptuously. Even the bear-like creature gaped in surprise. She wore a short red skirt that came to mid-thigh and a bright yellow sweater. Her hair was pulled back in a high ponytail.

"Why don't you try picking on someone your own size?" Buffy asked with a smirk and a raised eyebrow.

"Insolent Human!" the largest of the reptile creature's cried. "Do you not know who we are?"

"Hmmm," Buffy said flippantly, "Don't know, don't care?"

As one, the reptiles seemed to forget all about the bear thingie and charged at Buffy. Dropping low, she met them with a spinning kick, knocking one several feet away where it lay stunned. Compared to Vampires, these guys were nothing. They fired their ray-guns, or whatever they were, and Buffy easily dodged them. They were much easier to see coming than bullets. As Buffy flipped, punched, and kicked her whole perception seemed different. She seemed to move quicker than she ever had before, almost as if she could see the punches coming before they hit. She was blindingly fast, nearly running circles around the much slower reptiles. Within two minutes they were all lying on the ground, either unconscious or groaning in pain. Buffy smirked at the pile, dusted off her skirt, and turned toward the bear-like creature.

"Are you okay?" she asked, assuming since the reptiles spoke English, this guy must be able to as well.

His jaw, which as hanging in shock snapped shut, and he grunted at her, in what she could only assume meant yes, and struggled to his feet. Turning to her, he put his hand over his heart and looked at her intently. Then in a series of grunts, growls, and roars, he seemed to be saying something very important to him.

Buffy simply shook her head, "Sorry, can't understand you, big guy. Too bad we don't have a translator. Then you could answer a couple questions for me, too."

The large fuzzy creature seemed to perk up at that thought, and turning, motioned for her to follow him. Buffy sighed, looked around and decided she didn't have many other options. She had no idea where she was and the big fuzzy guy seemed to have some clue. Even if she couldn't understand what he was saying. She nodded and they both walked off.

As they walked toward the nearby town, one of the reptiles pulled a communicator out of his pocket. "Sir," he said, his voice shaking nervously at the thought of who was on the other end, "I think we have a bit of a problem."

Buffy followed the fuzzy guy into the small, dirty-looking town where he headed toward a store that screamed technology. Buffy couldn't help but sigh in relief. As she saw several types of vehicles zoom past that seemed to be floating over the ground, she couldn't help but have hope that this society would have some way for her to contact Giles or her mother.

The fuzzy guy leaned over the counter and a robot half the size of Buffy popped up, its sensor scanning both of the creatures in front of it.

"Good afternoon," it intoned in its dead robotic voice, "and what can I assist you with today?"

The fuzzy guy growled and grunted, motioning with his hand toward a couple of various items and then motioned toward Buffy as he growled a few more things. Buffy sighed and looked at the robot, who strangely enough seemed to understand the bear guy.

"Yes, sir," the robot replied as the bear thingie stopped speaking, "we just got in a new supply of bowcaster bolts as well as a small Wookie Interpreter Droid. Does your Human friend here speak Basic?"

Buffy started and turned to look at the robot, "Do I speak Basic?" she repeated, confused.

"Answer suitable," replied the droid, obviously not understanding her question. "Very well, wait a few moments please," he said, and disappeared into the back of the store.

"Was that some kind of insult?" Buffy asked the big fuzzy guy and to her surprise he began to laugh. That, at least, Buffy understood and a matching grin came to her own face at the sound.

After a few moments, the robot returned with a smaller robot grasped in his claw-like hands and a pack of what looked like crossbow bolts in his other claw. "Here you are," he said, handing the mini-robot to Buffy.

She looked at it askance as she took it and said, "What is it for?" It was small enough to fit securely in her hand. It looked like a little bug.

"Activate the droid by flipping the switch on the back," the robot said to her. "It's memory has been recently wiped, it can be programmed by you anyway you want. Its basic function is to act as an interpreter between Wookies and Basic-speaking humans, such as yourself, but it also knows 99 other forms of communication."

"What's a wookie?" Buffy asked curious.

In what Buffy could only assume was humor, the robot pointed at her companion.

"Oh," Buffy said, laughing. She quickly thumbed on the switch and then small robot turned on.

It swiveled its tiny head to look at her and then said, "Hello, I am Wookie translator droid identification number W7-T2, you must be my new master, how may I serve you today?"

Buffy jaw dropped and she said, "Master?"

The 'Wookie' beside her laughed and began to talk to the robot as he paid the robot at the counter and they walked out of the store. The robot turned to her and said, "The Wookie would like me to tell you thank you for saving his life and wishes to express his gratitude. He also says he now owes a life-debt to you and pledges that he will follow you until he feels it is repaid."

Buffy's jaw dropped again and she stared in shock at the big fuzzy guy. "Now, hang on," she said, "I didn't do it because of that. You're free to go your own way, but I wouldn't mind if you could answer a few questions for me, like, is there a telephone of some kind around here?"

The Wookie grunted curiously and Buffy could hear the question behind his words. Her small robot piped up and said, "He asks what a telephone is, Master."

Buffy groaned, and said, "Great. Well, can you at least tell me where on Earth we are?"

The Wookie grunted again, and W7-T2 instantly said, "Earth? He knows of no Earth, but we are on the planet called Tatooine."

"Great," Buffy said, "just great." However, she'd never been one to be thrown off for long, so she turned to the Wookie and asked, "So, what are you doing here?"

After a few more minutes of the Wookie speaking, the robot turned to her and said, "He is on a crusade to free other Wookies from slavery. He recently heard of a shipment of young Wookies that is going to be transferred from Trandoshan Slavers to the Empire. He came here to stop it and to free the young Wookies."

Buffy smiled at the Wookie, "Well, that's pretty impressive. Good luck with that."

The Wookie looked at her curiously, seemed to hesitate, and then bellowed some type of question.

"He wants to know who you are, why you're here, and how you beat those Trandoshans so easily."

Buffy hesitated. She didn't sense anything evil from the Wookie beside her, but she had a feeling it wasn't too good of an idea to broadcast exactly what she was too loudly. If she had to trust someone here, though, it might as well be this Wookie. "My name is Buffy. I don't know exactly how I got here. I've been trained to fight evil. Maybe you could help me look for my home, and I could help you with your whole slavery thing? After all, those guys, though incompetent, didn't really scream 'Good Guys.'"

The Wookie smiled at her widely and gave her a hug, that if she hadn't been the Slayer might have crushed her. As it was, she grunted and said, "Yeah, no problem."

He released her and she said, "You don't really owe me anything though, Wookie boy. How about we just be friends?"

The Wookie grinned at her again and W7-T2 quickly translated, saying, "He says he still owes you a life-debt, but he wouldn't mind also being your friend. He says you seem like an honorable human. I also agree, Master. You do seem very honorable."

Buffy glared at her robot and said, "Now don't you be a suck up." Then she turned to look back at her new friend and said, "So, what is your name? You do have a name, don't you?"

The Wookie puffed out his chest proudly and roared mightily. After a moment, the robot quicklyt translated.

"He says he is called Chewbacca, son of Attichitcuk."


	2. Chapter 1

Just so you all know, this is going to be AU. Major events will still take place, but they will most likely be quite different. So, if you are expecting a rehashing of Star Wars, expect to be disappointed. This will be significantly changed. Look to Prologue for disclaimer.

Chapter 1

Buffy happily brushed the new clothes that she was wearing. As much as she loved her cheerleader outfit, it wasn't going to inspire fear in anyone. It also really wasn't appropriate for the weather. Tatooine seemed to be its own version of hell. It was extremely hot with all manner of foul beasts. Strange looking aliens walked up and down the street and no one batted an eye. However, if this was the dark place that was supposed to have her soul, the witch couldn't have gotten it more wrong. It was bright here, so bright that Buffy desperately wished for a pair of sunglasses. Her new clothes were soft and light, protecting her from the sun, even as they kept her cool. She wore a dark-grey tunic that was pulled tight by a belt that fit snuggly around her middle. Under it, she had a tighter, white shirt. She also wore a pair of light gray pants. She had tried on some of the boots and found them to be surprisingly comfortable. She looked every inch a native of Tatooine.

She walked closely beside Chewbacca with the small droid sitting on her shoulder. The Wookie was making various statements about upgrading the little creature that the droid was interpreting with no small amount of trepidation. Buffy gracefully dodged around a small rodent-like creature that ran in front of her and she smiled as it stopped and scolded her. Her eyes behind the smile were sad though, and she couldn't help but be aware how far she was from home.

A large slug creature walked in front of her and the Wookie and as he did, he gave her a lecherous look with his large glazed eyes. Buffy shuddered in disgust and turned to Chewbacca who was glaring at the slug. "What is that?" Buffy whispered.

Chewbacca rumbled quietly to her and her droid piped up and said, "That is Jabba the Hutt. Chewbacca says to stay far away from him."

Buffy nodded. The creature had triggered her Slayer sense that Giles had been trying to have her hone before she came to this place. For some reason, here in this desert planet, she seemed to be effortlessly able to sense and understand the motives of the creatures around her. Perhaps it was because so few of them were human.

"So, Chewbacca," Buffy said, "where do we start? When does the shipment arrive with your people?"

Chewbacca gave a guttural cry and Buffy began to wish she could just understand her friend's words without the little robot.

"He says he couldn't get the exact date from the Trandoshan before he ripped off his arms. The issuing shock killed the creature."

Buffy let out a surprised laugh and glanced at the large Wookie beside her. He seemed so gentle. However, she had lopped off more than a few heads herself at times. The Wookie seemed to enjoy her amusement.

"So, Chewbacca," Buffy said, "Is there any chance you and I could spar sometime? Even if I can't get home anytime soon, I should still stay in shape." At the thought of home, Buffy felt a sharp sinking sensation inside, but she pushed it back. She would worry about it later. This was no time to show weakness.

Chewie looked at her diminutive figure and back into her face. Then he seemed to protest. Before Buffy's droid could translate though, Buffy said, "Don't worry, big guy, you're not going to hurt me. I'm stronger than I look."

Chewbacca looked surprised and mumbled a question at her. The droid seemed to wait for an instant then turned to Buffy and said, "He wants to know how you knew what he said."

Buffy rolled her eyes. "Please, Chewbacca, I also speak non-verbal. You were screaming it with the looks."

Chewbacca grunted again. "He says he won't go easy on you, Mistress," the droid translated.

Buffy grinned a little grin that filled the small translator with a good degree of fear. "Good," was all she said.

Chewbacca spoke a few more words. "He says he could get a general time frame was all. Sometime this week, above the planet's surface the Trandoshans will trade with the Empire. He fears the Hutts will be in on it as well."

"What, you mean the slug boys?" Buffy asked, an eyebrow raised in surprise. "Are they really that dangerous?"

Chewbacca gestured and rumbled a bit as the droid translated, "They themselves are not too deadly, but they head vast organizations and have lots of money. You don't want to get on their bad side."

Buffy, who knew she had a knack of getting on the bad guy's bad sides, shook her head and said, "I'll try to keep that in mind."

They came to a stop in front of a large building, and Buffy asked, "So, what are we doing here?"

"He says we are going to his ship."

"Ah. As in a plane?"

Chewbacca gave her a confused look.

"You know, an airplane?"

If anything, the confusion only deepened, but Chewbacca tried his best to understand the question. "He says it's his space ship. We are going to need it if we are going to be able to free the young Wookies."

"So, in other words, I'm stuck in an alternate dimension where people don't know what telephones or airplanes are, but they fly around in spaceships and have ultra high-tech little robot things?" Buffy sighed, "I am SO out of my league."

Chewbacca again looked confused, but this time the little bug-droid did as well. It was currently perched on Buffy's shoulder and she failed to notice her two companions' confusion. They entered into the Ships' Hanger and wandered past row after row of starship. Buffy looked entranced.

"Wow, there are a lot of these," Buffy said, as she turned and walked backwards, looking at an especially dangerous looking one. It reminded her of a dagger, its prow sharp and sleek. She didn't need anyone to tell her that the ship was dangerous, it was like a sheathed sword. At any moment it might be drawn and used to terminate the nearest sentient being. Buffy's love for fatal, pointy things was coming to the surface. As Buffy's eyes lingered on the ship, she felt her back collide with something. Wheeling around, she found herself facing the ugliest man she had ever seen.

"What are you looking at, girlie?" He asked, his eyes sliding up and down her frame, a lecherous smile on his lips. His hair was a light brown color, and one eyes was blue while the other was brown. His teeth were broken and as he spoke, she could smell his rancid breath.

"Definitely not you," Buffy growled and attempted to move around him. Chewbacca was ahead and hadn't noticed the confrontation yet. As she moved to follow her friend, the man grabbed her by the shoulders and tried to stop her progress.

"Not so fast, little one," he drawled, "I think you and I should talk."

"I suggest," she said, in an even voice, "that you get your hands off of me."

"You gonna make me?" he asked, leaning in closer. In response, Buffy slammed her head into his face, breaking his already ugly nose. Yelping, he brought his hands to his face, releasing Buffy, and she once again attempted to walk around him, satisfied with the punishment. However, in a fit of anger, he stepped in front of her again and hissed, "Oh, you are going to pay for that. Do you have any idea who I am? You should be falling to your knees and begging for mercy!"

"Yeah, well," Buffy said, hands on her hips, "I never was into begging. Now, I'm going to warn you one more time. I don't care who you are, but you had better get out of my way." Behind the man's back, she could see Chewbacca. He had spotted the situation and was becoming furious, but she motioned for him to stay back.

The man growled and went to grab her. She ducked under his grasping hands and swung a kick that collided with his side forcefully and sent him flying. He banged into a nearby ship, denting the hull. The man struggled to get back to his feet, his face livid. He began to head back in her direction, when a large hand picked him up by the back of his shirt. He turned his eyes and found himself meeting the steel-gray eyes of a man far larger than himself.

"Did you know," the man rumbled, "that you just dented my ship? Who is going to pay for that?"

The smaller, ugly man gulped, knowing exactly in whose grip he was. "I'm sorry, Claxtor," he whined, "it wasn't my fault. The girl threw me into it!"

"A girl?" Claxtor laughed, "What kind of girl could have such power?"

"I don't know!" the ugly man said, grasping for straws, "but it was the same girl who broke my nose!"

"Hmmm," Claxtor said, appearing less angry and more intrigued. "and where is this girl, Nayton?"

"Right, th…" Nayton went to point, but the girl was long gone, happy to let another beat him to a pulp.

"Maybe there was no girl, eh?" Claxtor said, beginning to grow angry again as he shook the man by his shirt.

"No, no!" Nayton screamed, "Ask anyone! There were witnesses! She was with a large Wookie!"

Claxtor looked at one of the other ship's Captain and the creature gulped, frightened to be in the Great Claxtor's sights.

"Is this true, Xyrlew?"

The small creature with bulbous eyes nodded. "Yes, sir," he croaked, his small webbed feet clasping each other nervously. "The girl did indeed sling him against your ship."

Claxtor appeared satisfied, but the creature spoke again, "However, Claxtor, she only did it because Nayton wouldn't leave her alone."

Claxtor nodded in appreciation, "I expect you to pay the repairs in full, Nayton. Is that clear?"

Nayton nodded his head, blood flipping from his broken nose as his heart plotted vengeance.

Chewbacca growled in annoyance as they walked toward his ship. This girl had only been here for an hour and already she had managed to upset a couple of the most feared pirates in the galaxy. It was going to be a chore to look after her. Luckily though, she seemed fairly capable.

Chewbacca couldn't stay angry with her as he noticed her wide-eyed wonder. Where had this human come from that she did not know so many things? He couldn't help but wonder about her. She walked with the fluid motion of a warrior and was unexpectedly strong for her short stature. He shook his head and hoped, in time, she would trust him enough to share her secrets. He knew she had held much back from him. He respected that.

Chewbacca finally came to a stop in front of his ship, and looked to Buffy to see her reaction.

She scanned the ship with a warrior's experienced eye, and seemed delighted with what she saw. The ship was no production of a factory, but instead a work of art by Chewbacca himself. It was built for speed and devastation. Four guns jutted around the pointed prow. It was built to be aerodynamic and Buffy noticed several other guns that were hidden along the wings.

"So, this is your ship, Chewbacca," Buffy said, tilting her head as she looked at it. "What's its name?"

Chewbacca rumbled and the little droid on her shoulder stated, "HER name is Malla. We'll be staying here for the next few days."

At those words, Buffy couldn't help but feel uneasy. They reminded her it may very well be days or even years before she returned home. Her mother was going to be so worried. Buffy couldn't help but think to that morning when she had marched through the kitchen singing, "Macho, Macho Man." It most likely wasn't, she thought with a rueful smile, the best way to say goodbye.


	3. Chapter 2

A/N: Well, I've gotten a couple questions about the time frame of this story. This story takes place 5 years prior to a New Hope. According to the official Star Wars Time Line, this is the year Han met Chewbacca. I warn you though, that's kind of a spoiler for the next few chapters. Now, if you've read the Han Solo Trilogy, some of the characters names will be the same, but as I said, I am not rehashing. This will be completely different from the books, partially because I don't believe in stealing others' work word for word, but also because when Buffy is entered into the equation, expect the unexpected. Decisions that might have gone one way without her go an entirely different direction. People that normally wouldn't have looked twice will look three or four times. Also, the starships that the characters fly will be different as well, until the Millenium Falcon comes in. Don't worry, I did do my homework though. I will stay within the designated time line and most major events will take place, but with a twist. I'm not saying anymore. Stay tuned.

Look to first chapter for disclaimer.

Thanks to redcristal, Smallville527, Iceflame55, Cylon One, BlueDove, Emerald Isis, Krycek's Immortal Slayer, Dilvish 2.0, chasing-heartbeats, enchantedlight, and SFBKludge for their reviews and comments. I appreciate the questions and corrections. After all, I, like so many of you, am not perfect. I do make mistakes. If you catch me at them, please correct me and I will try to fix it. Thanks.

Enough from me, on with the story:

Chapter 2

Buffy stared in wonder as they entered the small craft. Though it was intended for one Wookie, there was plenty of room for at least two more people. She was also surprised to find it amazingly clean for having a large hairy Wookie living in it. Chewbacca smiled at her expression of wonder as she began to explore the ship.

The cockpit was at the very front of the small ship, and it had two comfortable chairs displayed in front of the main computer. Buffy guessed the chairs were for the pilot and copilot. As Buffy surveyed the many different buttons and levers, she decided then and there that if she was going to be in this situation long, she was going to learn how to fly one of these things. Chewbacca explained, via W7-T2, that the controls for the guns were housed in the cockpit so he could fly and shoot at the same time. He showed her which controls fired which guns and he couldn't help but notice the excited gleam that appeared in her eyes as she fingered the trigger.

Directly behind the cockpit was a hall that ran down the center of the remainder of the ship and ended in the cargo hold, which at the moment was empty but for some general supplies.

On either side of the cargo hold were two bedrooms. There was a bunk in each of the two bedrooms and Buffy put the clothes she had bought on the bed. When they had gone shopping, she had assured Chewbacca that she would pay him back for the supplies, but he had grumbled and waved his paw, telling her not to worry about it.

Finished with the tour, Chewbacca left the room and Buffy settled on the bunk with a sigh and leaned back, trying to relax. It seemed like she had barely even closed her eyes when she heard an enraged bellow coming from the direction of the cockpit. Her eyes shot open and she was running toward the sound almost before she even registered the noise. W7-T2 yelped as he clung desperately to her shoulder. She wheeled around the corner and saw a man in a uniform being pressed up against the wall by the enraged Wookie.

She quickly ran forward and grabbed Chewbacca's arm before it slammed into the man's face.

"What's going on, Chewbacca?" she asked. Chewbacca surprised at the strength of her grip, paused in his tantrum for a moment, and then he began gesturing to the frightened man he still held in one paw. The man gulped audibly, but Buffy had to wait until the little droid communicated the problem.

"He says this man barged in here accusing him of landing in his 'spot' in the Docking Bay. Chewbacca was just informing him that there is no such thing as 'spots' and he had better get off Chewbacca's ship or Chewbacca was going to rip out his spine and strangle him with it."

Buffy winced at the vivid imagery. However, she couldn't help but find the situation funny. "People STILL argue over parking spaces?" she asked, laughing. "Maybe this place isn't as different as I thought it was. Well, Chewbacca, why don't you put the man down and give him a chance to make a new judgment based on your threat. If he still wants to make an issue about it, then I'll help you with the ripping out the spine thingie."

The man sent her an incredulous look, and sputtered, "Impudent dogs! I'm an official representative of the Empire. I always land my ship in this spot! How dare you threaten me!"

Both Buffy and Chewbacca exchanged a look, and Chewbacca closed his fist and gave a very primal roar in the direction of the man's face.

"From the Empire, huh?" Buffy said. "You wouldn't happen to know anything about a shipment of slaves that are coming in, would you? My friend Chewbacca here would be most grateful if you could share any information."

The man's eyes opened wider, if it was even possible, as Chewbacca bared stark white teeth in front of his face.

"W-w-why do you want to know?" stuttered the man. Buffy shrugged and smirked at him.

"Let's just say that anything you tell us might let you live a little longer." Chewbacca huffed out a laugh and tightened his grip on the man's arm. The man's fear turned to pain as he felt something crack in his arm.

"Hey, if I say anything, they'll kill me!" the man sputtered, terrified.

"Who will?" Buffy asked gently, playing the good cop.

"The Trandoshans!" the man gasped pathetically. "Please don't kill me, I only work as a negotiator between them and the Empire! The Empire doesn't like to deal with non-humans so I was hired."

Buffy couldn't believe their luck. It seemed incredible that out of all the people who could have walked in complaining, just the person that they needed had been the one to comply. "Why don't you tell us all about this slave transfer and maybe the Wookie won't get rough."

The Wookie squeezed both the man's arms, applying a little more pressure and the man gasped, eyes rolling and mouth gaping like a fish on land. Buffy, through her Slayer Sense that seemed so much more powerful than before, could feel that his will was wavering, and instinctively, without knowing what she was doing, she found herself mentally pushing it just the slightest bit further. Instantly, the man's whole figure slumped as he conceded defeat. "Alright," he said, "I'll tell you." Chewbacca looked surprised. He had expected much more resistance than that.

The man sighed and muttered, "The shipment is arriving tomorrow. It will be held directly over this port in the atmosphere. The Wookies will be transferred via transport to the imperial destroyer. This will happen approximately at 12:00 when the two suns are at their zenith."

Buffy grinned and patted his foot, which was the only part she could really reach. The rest was held up too high by the tall Wookie. "There now," she said, sympathetically, "isn't that better?"

Gulping, the man nodded as Chewbacca loosened his grip. "Now," Buffy said, "what's your name?"

The man looked visibly shaken, but Buffy could feel his will hardening, and instinctively, she once again crushed it.

The man slumped again, and muttered, "Hartto."

"Now, Hartto, are you still necessary for the negotiations?"

Hartto looked down and in a voice choked with fear whispered, "No. Everything is already set up. I was not supposed to attend the actual transfer tomorrow. All the details are already worked out."

Buffy smiled, "Then, I would advise you to disappear for a few days and not to say anything about this little conversation. Or else. Are we understanding each other?"

Hartto visibly gulped again as Chewbacca roared in his face. He frantically nodded his head. As Buffy's posture relaxed, Chewbacca suddenly slammed his fist over the man's head. The man was jolted into unconsciousness.

"Aw, Chewbacca," Buffy said, "now we've got to dump his body somewhere. Couldn't you have just let him leave?"

Chewbacca roared and began gesturing wildly. W7-T2, forgotten on Buffy's shoulder, hastened to translate. "He says the man would have ran straight to the authorities. His kind, the dishonorable kind that deal with Slavers, are to be shown no mercy."

Buffy looked a little troubled, as she muttered, "Well, at least make sure he's not going to die."

Chewbacca nodded and slung the man over his shoulder. He began to walk out of the craft, when Buffy raised a hand to stop him. "Hang on," she said, moving swiftly to catch up, "I'm coming too. Wouldn't want you to have any fun without me. Besides," she said, motioning to the unconscious man, "it will look less suspicious if I'm with you."

Chewbacca grunted in acknowledgment, and then rumbled a comment that was passed along by W7-T2. "He says, yes it will look less suspicious, but you seem to attract more trouble than a dozen Jawas. He doesn't know if he will be able to help you with the man slung over his shoulder. Especially since this city is ran by Imperials. "

Buffy laughed. "Don't worry, big guy," she said, patting him on the arm, "I can take care of myself. Besides, aren't you glad I came along before you beat the guy to a bloody pulp? Then we never would have gotten the information."

Chewbacca grumbled, but Buffy had already skipped ahead, her face showing child-like wonder as she continued to take in her surroundings. Chewbacca smiled at her antics, but he couldn't help but feel worried. The man had given up the information too easily. It didn't seem possible that the man had been sent to them on purpose, the situation had been to random for that, but something strange was definitely going on. Chewbacca didn't need to be a jedi to know that. He suspected a trap, but didn't have time to think about the subject further before _another_ human was approaching Buffy. This human's manner screamed that his purpose toward the girl was not of an innocent nature. Chewbacca recognized the man as a fairly famous pilot from the area. He was frequently seen in the cantinas around Bestine, and Chewbacca had often heard him boast about his many travels in the week he had been here. Chewbacca sighed and rubbed his head with the hand that was not carrying the man. Could the girl not stay out of trouble for five minutes?

Buffy was staring at a large bantha, when she felt him approaching. She turned to find a rather attractive man coming toward her. However, recognizing the look on his face as one she had seen on too many boys' faces at her old school in L.A., and she knew not to expect anything but trouble.

"Good afternoon," the man said, his eyes looking her over as he gave her a kind smile.

Buffy sighed, and turning her back on him, said, "Get lost."

"Oh, come now," the man protested, "is courtesy dead these days? Surely you can at least introduce yourself before you send me packing."

As Buffy was about to turn and confront the man, she heard an enraged growl from behind her. She wheeled around to find Chewbacca plowing toward the man like an out of control train. As he hit the man straight on, the pirate gave a loud "oomph" and sailed through the air to land at the feet of a troop of Imperial Stormtroopers.

Buffy, not recognizing their armor, didn't realize the trouble they were in. Chewbacca maintained a neutral expression. It was in their best interest to not attract more attention, though inside he was boiling at the sight of the soldiers. He turned to Buffy and motioned to her that they should get going.

"Halt!" one of the troopers said as he hauled the pirate to his feet. For his part, the pirate looked no more happy to be there than Chewbacca did. "What exactly is going on here?" the officer demanded, "And why is there an unconscious man on that Wookie's shoulder?"

Buffy turned and looked the soldiers over with a critical and wary eye. She could tell they were well-trained, though they didn't look like they'd be a match for her and Chewbacca. However, she could sense that Chewbacca was struggling to find an answer to the man's question so Buffy quickly slipped into a familiar role.

"Oh, Officer!" she said, her eyes wide with fright, her finger pointed accusingly at the pirate in the Officer's grip. "That terrible man was accosting me. Luckily, this friendly Wookie came to my rescue or I might have been dealt great harm! That man is a scoundrel!"

Chewbacca looked at Buffy as though she had suddenly grown two heads. She seemed to have suddenly transformed before his eyes. Strangely enough, the soldiers seemed to be buying it. They gave the girl some appraising stares that had Chewbacca growling deeply in his throat, but other than that, seemed content to leave the Wookie and girl alone.

"She lies!" yelled the pirate, desperately trying to extricate himself. "I was simply minding my own business when her beast of a Wookie attacked me!"

The Officer who had spoken before peered closely at the man. "Wait a moment," he exclaimed, "you look familiar."

Another one of the troopers gasped and exclaimed, "He's Vincent Qlen!" The pirate, seeing that he had been recognized, glared furiously at Buffy. Then, in an unexpected move, he rammed his fingers into the joint under the guard's arm. The trooper gasped and his arm seemed to spasmodically jerk and his fingers released the prisoner. Vincent then began to run. The troopers recovered a moment later and took off in pursuit. Yelling and firing, they all vanished around a corner.

"Well," Buffy said, yawning, "that was exciting. What should we do next, Chewbacca?"

Chewbacca once again could only stare in stunned belief at the small blond who stood in front of him. She laughed at his expression and began to walk away again. Chewbacca hurried to catch up. The snarl on his face was more than enough to keep any other would-be suitors away, and they soon made it to a small building on the edge of the city. Chewbacca motioned for them to walk inside.

Once inside, Chewbacca turned a stern gaze upon Buffy, who suddenly suffered a feeling of déjà vu. She was painfully reminded of Giles when he was extremely 'distraught' with her.

"Uh oh," she said, as Chewbacca began to wave his free arm frantically and bellow at her. The only other occupant of the building lifted his head as the noise level continued to increase. A small smile appeared on the weathered face as he listened to the gruff Wookie chew out the young woman who stood before him.

"His tone of voice seems to indicate that he is most displeased with you," piped up W7-T2.

"You think?" muttered Buffy softly to the small droid.

"He asks what you were thinking. Didn't you realize those were Imperial Stormtroopers? How could you have been so careless? Do you have to attract trouble everywhere you go?"

"Hey, I wasn't the one that threw..." Buffy tried to interrupt, but Chewbacca was still using anger as a way of ridding himself of all his nervous tension.

"Do you have any idea what they would do to you if they found out what you were really trying to do, he asks. Do you truly desire to be locked away or at those men's mercy?" continued the small droid in a calm expressionless voice as Chewbacca continued to bluster and shout. The combination of their contrasting voices and the image that Chewbacca's words recalled were too much for Buffy. She collapsed helplessly into a near-by seat in a fit of giggles. She kept seeing the stormtroopers racing around the corner in pursuit of the pirate. Chewbacca, baffled, abruptly stopped his ranting. The small droid seemed offended.

Buffy waved her arm frantically, motioning him to continue even as she struggled to stop laughing. Chewbacca just shook his head in exasperation. There was no reasoning with this female. Even the bravest were sent running by the sight of a Wookie in full rage, but instead she was _laughed_ at him? Chewbacca couldn't help it. The stress of the morning's events became too much for him and he fell into a seat next to her even as he also began chuckling. He dropped Hartto on the ground and looked at the giggling girl helplessly.

"Well," said the other occupant in the room, "if you don't mind me interrupting your drama, I'd like to ask what you are doing here."

Buffy was immediately serious and leapt to her feet, her fists balled as she stood tense, waiting to see if the speaker was an enemy or not. Chewbacca remained relaxed in his chair and motioned to the still unconscious man on the floor as he rumbled a few phrases.

"He says he'd like the stranger to get rid of this guy until tomorrow," W7-T2 clarified, and Buffy's eyes widened.

"Wait a minute, why are we trusting _this_ guy?" Buffy demanded.

Chewbacca waved a hand toward the man and the droid translated, "He's a friend."

"Oh."

The wizened stranger laughed. "Quite a human you've found, Chewbacca," the stranger said, cautiously eyeing Buffy as though sizing up an opponent.

Chewbacca gave an expression of agreement as he dropped his head back against the chair in evident exhaustion.

Buffy looked outrage, "Now just a minute, Chewbacca! Who saved _who_ today?"

The stranger looked surprised. "Don't tell me Chewbacca owes you a life debt!"

Buffy shrugged, "That's what he said, but I'm not really sure what he meant."

"A life debt," intoned the stranger, "is a sacred duty followed by many species around the galaxy. Many species take it lightly, but the Wookies are not one of those. Basically, the life debt says that, for example, if a Wookie's life was saved by another, as you have done, the Wookie would be obligated to pledge their life to protect and look after you, even if it comes down to giving their own life for yours."

"Wow. So, this life debt, really is a life long debt. Can't you call the debt cancelled after they save your life a couple times?"

"Some species might," the old stranger agreed, "however Wookies take the idea of a life debt much more seriously. I'm afraid you and Chewbacca are stuck together."

Buffy looked at the Wookie askance. Chewbacca just gave a furry shrug.

"Oh, boy," said Buffy, "Mom is NOT going to like this. Not one bit."


	4. Chapter 3

A/N: Goodness, this story is getting some positive feedback! That's great! Keeps me typing! Stay tuned!

Look to first chapter for disclaimer.

Thanks go to Nikki, xxwildathart, Cristina, Cylon One, and enchantedlight for their reviews and comments. Every little bit helps me keep going!

Chapter 3

Buffy sighed as she and Chewbacca stepped back in through the doors of Malla, Chewbacca's ship. She'd only been here a few long hours, and already this spaceship was beginning to feel like a safe haven.

Chewbacca looked at her curiously. She'd been unusually quiet, at least compared to earlier, ever since she'd found out about the full extent of the life debt. He grunted a question at her.

"Mistress, Chewbacca would like to know what's wrong. He asks if it's something he said."

Buffy took the small robot off her shoulder and held it in her hands. Instead of answering Chewbacca's question, she said, "You know what I think? W7-T2 is too long of a name for a little guy like you. I think I'm going to rename you. I can do that, can't I?" she asked turning to look at Chewbacca.

Chewbacca's furry lips curled up into a smile and he nodded his head slightly. Buffy smiled back in turn. Chewbacca instantly knew she wasn't mad at him. It was something else that was weighing on her mind. Something that she wasn't comfortable talking about yet. This was her way of avoiding the subject. Chewbacca's eyes glittered and he smirked as the little bug-like droid looked uncomfortable.

"That is within permissible parameters, mistress," the droid replied, though its voice sounded shaky. He had seen enough of his crazy owner at this point to know he needed to expect the unexpected.

Buffy suddenly beamed as though she'd won the lottery. "Alright. Well, I think, since my real comfort friend's not here, you can take his name until I get back home."

"Who's name, Mistress?" the droid replied, sounding even more nervous.

"From now on," Buffy declared proudly, "your name is Mr. Gordo."

Chewbacca raised a hairy eyebrow. W7-T2, now known as Mr. Gordo was stunned into a brief silence.

Finally he managed to say, "Mistress?"

Buffy winced and shook her head. "Don't call me that anymore. It just doesn't sound right. Has bad meanings where I come from. Call me Buffy instead."

"Alright, Mis…er, Buffy?"

"Yeah?"

"I do not understand the significance of this name. Gordo does not register in any quadrant of my speech database."

Buffy looked surprised, "Are you serious? You don't know Spanish?"

The droid shook its tiny head in confusion and Buffy blinked and then shrugged, saying, "Well, neither do I. Let's just say it has a personal meaning and leave it at that. Is that okay with you?"

Shocked that she would even ask, the little droid immediately nodded its tiny head up and down. "Of course, Mi…Buffy. It suits me fine. From now on, I will respond to Mr. Gordo."

Buffy beamed again. She felt much better having a Mr. Gordo with her, even if it wasn't the real one. Chewbacca still looked confused, but seemed to be pleased by the fact that she was pleased. She cuddled the little droid to her, and an expression of surprise seemed to cross the droid's expressionless features. Then, with a very human-like sigh, it shut down its processors.

"So," Buffy said, turning to Chewbacca, "are you going to show me how to work this baby?"

Chewbacca grinned widely and roared his approval.

A few hours later, Buffy's mind was full to the brim with information from the cockpit. It was hard to remember how to fly the ship without actually being able to practice, but she was doing her best. This wasn't like school where she had a hard time paying attention. For some reason, Buffy found everything the Wookie was saying interesting.

Finally, Buffy stretched from where she was bent over the controls, yawned, and turning to Chewbacca said, "I think you owe me a spar now. Nothing like a good work out to make the brain absorb things. Not to mention I'm getting stiff from sitting here."

Chewbacca blinked at her, as though asking if she was serious, and then a huge smile split his face.

They both headed to the cargo hold and both settled into their fighting positions. Chewbacca took a form Buffy had never seen before, which she wasn't too surprised at. After all, she was experiencing a lot of things today that she had never even dreamed existed.

As much as Buffy didn't like the package Slayer gig, she couldn't help but admit she enjoyed her physical prowess. She loved the energy that gave her disproportional strength and speed. She loved the adrenaline rush she got after a good battle, as long as nothing bad happened.

However, she could tell Chewbacca still wasn't taking her seriously, even after seeing her clobber the Trandoshans that morning. She smiled. Well, maybe she would start off a little easy on him as well.

Buffy had trained with Giles, and before that she had trained with Merrick. She had battled numerous vampires, and had even fought a witch. However, nothing she had done so far had prepared her for sparring with a Wookie.

Quicker than she expected, Chewbacca charged at her. Only her lightning fast reflexes saved her head from being slammed by his hand. She flipped backwards onto her hands, bringing her legs up with the intention of kicking him in the chest. However, he was quicker than she expected again as he brought his arm down and blocked her kick, though it numbed his arm to do so. Then, he ducked, sending a swiping kick at her arms that was intending to knock her hands out from under her.

She quickly flung herself upward with her hands leaving his slicing kick to do no damage and then she came down with her feet landing directly on his head. He was sent crashing backwards, and she flipped from the impact, landing on her feet, facing the irate Wookie. He bellowed, shaking his ringing head, then gave her an approving grin as they both paused for a moment.

Buffy grinned back. She hadn't had a work out like this since Luke, the Master's Vessel. They paused for a few more seconds and then they flowed into a dance more intricate than any teacher could teach. Fists jabbed, bodies flowed, and their moving bodies painted a picture more detailed than words could describe. As Buffy dodged and feinted, she could feel her Slayer sense kicking in once again. She felt almost as though she could see Chewbacca's fists coming before they actually even started moving.

Dimly in the back of her mind she could hear Giles' words coming back to her as they stood above the crowded Bronze. Giles annoyed voice floated through her head…

"…_. And I have to make you understand…You SHOULD know. Even through this mass and this... din, you should be able to sense them. Well, try! Reach out with your mind. You have to hone your senses, focus until the energy washes over you, until you, you feel every particle o-of..."_

In her memory Buffy could see herself casually scanning the crowd, using her fashion sense and wit to spot the vampire. She could see the whole scene again, as she once again realized it was Willow who was now in danger because Buffy had told her to 'seize the day.' The remembered guilt snapped her out of her memory and back into the present.

With newfound determination, Buffy realized that more than ever before, she needed to focus. Focus so she could get home. Back to Willow, to Xander, to Giles, and to her Mother. For possibly the first time in her life, Buffy truly tried to focus with every fiber of her being. There were no flippant comments, no sarcasm, and no reluctance. As she continued to fight the Wookie, she allowed the energy to wash over her, and her eyes slowly closed. She felt as though she was one with her surroundings, and THEY told her when Chewbacca was coming. She felt his paw part the air as it came toward her. She felt her reaction time speed up as the air around her aided her movements. She felt the wind currents telling her just when to jump so that the wind could carry her to the maximum velocity. She landed gracefully on the other side of the Wookie, feeling as though the ground itself had cushioned her fall and she spun effortlessly and snap kicked the Wookie's legs out from under him. The Wookie landed with a loud thump on the hard ground of the Cargo Hold and Buffy felt as though she had suddenly reawakened to her surroundings.

Far across the galaxy, Darth Vader and the Emperor were speaking privately, when they both felt a sudden disturbance in the force. Both heads turned as one, and the Emperor's gravelly voice said, "Darth Vader?"

Darth Vader, his black cloak swirling around him, lifted himself to his feet. "Yes, my Emperor," his deep voice echoed in the sudden stillness.

The Emperor's lips slowly lifted into a cold smile. "It seems a new player has entered our game. Bring them to me. I want them alive."

Darth Vader bowed his armored mask, "As you command, my Master." And with that he turned and walked from the chamber, his senses focused on the burst of power he had felt only moments before.

Out in the middle of the desert, only a few miles from where Chewbacca and Buffy were sparring, an old hermit raised his head from his dinner. Ben Kenobi, once called Obiwan Kenobi, felt a great disturbance in the force. Though it had occurred on Tatooine, Ben knew it hadn't come from his young charge. He knew Luke's Uncle kept a firm leash on the boy, and there was no way he was out this late, especially in city of Bestine.

Old Ben's curiosity was peaked and darkness hung over his soul as a Jedi premonition washed through him. "Master Yoda?" he called softly through the force.

"_Felt it, I did, Young Kenobi," _he heard Master Yoda reply softly back.

"What could it be, Master? I thought there were no Jedi left."

"_A Jedi this is not. Think on this I must. To this new force beckon the dark side will."_

Ben hesitated then stated, "Master Yoda?"

"_Yes?"_

"I haven't felt a power like that since…"

"_To the past your thoughts do turn, Jedi Kenobi. Of your apprentice, you do think."_

"Yes," Ben admitted. "Is it too late for this newcomer as well? Should I leave Luke and chase after this new presence?"

"_Hmmm. A difficult decision this is. Already on his way, Darth Vader is. Protection Luke shall need."_

"Can you sense anything from the force, Master Yoda?" Ben asked, the pleading evident on his now wizened features. "Any course that we can safely take?"

"_To my vision, clouded this new presence is. Stirring up the waters, they are." _There was a dry chuckle. Yoda seemed to find that idea amusing.

Ben felt desperate, not appreciating Yoda's sudden sense of humor. "What should I do, Master Yoda?"

"_Where you are, for now, stay. In the future, cross your paths will. Coming, something is. For now, safe the new presence shall be. Hidden for a while longer, they are. Newly discovered, this power is. Yet powerful it shall be. A great ally, perhaps. Or a great enemy."_

Ben's eyes opened with realization, "Master Yoda, could this be the true Chosen One?"

"_Perhaps. Know I do not. Disappointing Anakin was."_

Ben felt shame wash over him and he lowered his eyes.

"_Feel bad, do not!" _Yoda's voice growled in his head, _"Perhaps to the dark side, the balance did need to be brought. To the light side of the force, in time, restored our balance will also be. Perhaps misread the prophecy was."_

Ben shook his head, "I just hope that keeping the son from the same fate as the father will redeem my error."

"_Training the boy will need. Needs training, this new presence as well. To you they will look."_

"I'll try my best, Master Yoda."

Yoda chuckled dryly and spoke his favorite phrase, _"Do or do not, there is no try."_

Obiwan Kenobi, one of the last Jedi Masters, smiled and stated, "I'll DO my best, Master Yoda."

Yoda's issuing chuckle left the old hermit feeling decidedly more comforted.

Back at the ship, knowing nothing of the events that were transpiring around them, Chewbacca looked up at the small girl who had managed to bring him down. Mr. Gordo, who had been sitting over in the corner during the fight, piped up and said, "Mi…Buffy, how did you do that? My information of Humans states that many of the moves you accomplished are impossible by Human standards."

Chewbacca grinned. The little droid had managed to state the exact question he was curious to ask. However, Buffy just shrugged.

"Oh, you know," she said, "I've been working out."


	5. Chapter 4

A/N: Hey everybody! I'm back. Not that I was really gone….yeah. Anyway, here's Chapter 4, I hope you enjoy it. Again, this is a reminder that this is completely AU. Do NOT expect it to follow the Han Solo Trilogy. Some major characters/events might be similar, but it will be completely different. As for all of you reviewed….

Anon, thanks for reading and reviewing. This should be completely different from the books, but I hope you like it anyway. I like Buffy tapping into the force too.

Redcristal, don't worry, it may be four years before a New Hope, but that doesn't mean that there won't be some confrontations between some villainous Star Wars characters. After all, having Buffy around changes everything.

BlueDove, I do have to tell you, that your comment, short as it was, was all I could ever hope for. I'm glad you enjoyed it.

Enchantedlight thanks for the review. Here's another one for you!

Cylon One, thank you for catching my mistakes. I try to check it and catch them, but sometimes my mind just fixes it automatically and I don't even realize words are missing, so thank you for your help and thank you for your continual interest.

Iceflame55, let's just say there is a hint in Chapter 2 toward the issue you addressed. I don't want to give anything away though, but I will say that Buffy did something in that chapter that will become an issue later. Well, actually, she did a lot of things…but one in particular is an answer to your question. And it is true that Buffy uses her emotions every time she fights….that's all I'm saying. Stay tuned.

Disclaimer: Look to prologue.

Chapter 4

Buffy woke up the next morning feeling very refreshed, until she remembered where she was. She had fallen to sleep quickly, worn out by the busy day and hadn't had any time to be worried, lonely, or homesick. As she awoke, though, the full impact of her situation hit her for a moment, and then she shoved it away, concentrating on the now.

After all, this was the day, the day of her first space fight. She couldn't help the adrenaline that surged through her at that thought. Today they were going to free lots of little Chewbacca's from the big bad Imperialists. There would be time to worry about her situation later. However, she did have one thought that continually was eating away at her happiness. She decided to talk to Chewbacca about it.

She found him at the controls, preparing the ship. She slipped in next to him and tried to help where her limited knowledge would allow. Chewbacca gave her a patient smile and quickly corrected her when she made mistakes. Again, she was faintly reminded of Giles, however much it would horrify the poor librarian to hear it. They both had the same dignified, ruffled look. They both were patient until she really got on their nerves and then they both would yell at her. Buffy smiled happily for a moment as she imagined Chewbacca wiping glasses off on his fur and then replacing them on his face. As suddenly as the smile appeared though, it disappeared as she remembered her question. She was quickly brought out of the land of funny images and she turned to look intently at the Wookie.

"Chewbacca?" she said, softly.

He looked at her inquiringly. His soft blue eyes staring earnestly into her face. She smiled fondly at him for a moment, wondering at the closeness that was between them. She'd never felt this comfortable with anyone before. However, as he continued to look at her, the smile dropped from her face and she pulled her courage together and tried to voice the question that had been plaguing her.

"Are we going to have to…kill anyone?" she said, even more softly than before. If it hadn't been for the Wookie's keen sense of hearing, he might have missed the last two words.

He rumbled softly, a comforting noise and Mr. Gordo popped down from the ceiling onto Buffy's lap to translate. "He said, he wouldn't kill if he could help it. However, this isn't murder, it is war. The same war that thousands have fought before us. We didn't begin the killing, we didn't enslave their children, and we didn't take over their worlds. If we had started it, yes, then it would be murder. Then we would be responsible. However, for us, it is simply self-preservation. He asks if you understand the difference."

Buffy nodded, still unsure. "Yeah, I get that. But that still doesn't mean they aren't living, breathing human beings, or uh, other creatures. They have families and friends. They have hopes and dreams."

Mr. Gordo interpreted Chewbacca's statement as he rumbled, "Yes, and they are using them to crush others' hopes and dreams. They are killing and enslaving others' families and friends. They are making bad decisions that have separated them from the victims and turned them into the enemy. Even if they are humans, they are making themselves 'less than human' by their choices."

"Maybe," Buffy began, paused, and then forged ahead, "maybe they don't want to fight. Maybe they were forced into doing it. Maybe they were chosen and they can't help themselves. Maybe because they were gifted with special talents, they were sought out and used in a battle they wouldn't have fought if they'd had a choice." Then, as Buffy averted her eyes from Chewbacca, she whispered softly, "Maybe they want to stop. Maybe they want a choice."

Feeling that they were no longer entirely talking about soldiers, Chewbacca placed a warm, furry hand on Buffy's arm. Via Mr. Gordo, Chewbacca said gently, "There is always a choice."

Hearing the words she had longed to hear for so long, the words that had been denied her, Buffy felt the dam, behind which she hid her emotions, shatter. She began to cry softly, the last year's hurts coming back to her. She again felt the pain of being forced into a calling she had never wanted, had never been happy to have. She felt the pain of Merrick's death, the guilt of Jesse's death, the lives of all those in L.A. she had failed to save. She felt the remembered agony of her short visit to the mental institution, the lack of faith from her parents. She felt the misplaced guilt for her parents' divorce and the disappointed words of her mother as she waited for her daughter to once again make a mistake. She remembered her Mother and her friends, realizing she may never see then again. As though from afar, she felt Chewbacca's arms encircle her, she cried into his soft, warm fur taking comfort from his presence. Clinging to his fur, she continued for a long time until nothing was left.

As the torrent slowly slowed, she heard that Chewbacca was rumbling a song to her. It was a song with words that she could not comprehend, but one that spoke of hope nonetheless. As Chewbacca felt her sobbing still, he quietly rumbled a single phrase.

"He says, 'And making the right choice, even if it's a forced choice, can be the most difficult decision of all. Sometimes we must give up what we want in order for others to live the lives that we would like to have.'"

Buffy looked back into Chewbacca's understanding eyes and finally understood. Though she hadn't wanted to be called, she had been. Now only she had the power and she had to make the decision to use it. Knowing what she knew now, she could not turn back, could not turn away. Justice must be served, and if she had the power, she also had the responsibility. Even if she wanted to be a regular girl, she wasn't one, and she realized now that she was okay with that. The large Wookie next to her had somehow shown her that it was okay to be different, and only right to use those differences to help others. This was war, and she had to do her part to help, no matter what. Even if she never found a way home, she would do her best to help those around her. She wanted to give them the chance to be normal that she had lost.

After a long comfortable moment, Buffy broke the silence, suddenly feeling awkward. "Right," she breathed, her breath hitching as she tried to speak in a normal tone. She cleared her throat and tried again, "Right, well," she said, smiling awkwardly, embarrassed that her only friend had seen her emotional breakdown. A breakdown that she had held in for over a year. "That conversation really didn't turn out quite the way I wanted it to. Sorry about your fur."

Chewbacca looked down at his furry chest, which was now glistening with Buffy's tears before he lifted his head and once again looked into her eyes. Instead of looking at her with pity, though, she saw affection shining in those intelligent blue eyes. He made a 'not a big deal' motion with his hand and asked, via Mr. Gordo, if she was all right now.

"Oh, yeah," Buffy said, her old spark leaping into her eyes. "Let's go kick some Trandoshans!" She looked at the sweet, gentle Wookie next to her and added softly, "And Chewbacca?"

He turned back to look at her again.

"Thanks."

Chewbacca grinned and turned back to preparing the ship. Buffy smiled softly and followed suit. Now she felt prepared for battle.

However, as noon approached, Buffy could feel herself growing more nervous. Chewbacca had run through the different controls for his ship again, and the Wookie was impressed by how much the girl remembered. Especially when it came to the weapon controls. However, she still hadn't actually got to try out any of the controls and the uncertainty was causing her to become antsy.

A few hours before noon, when Chewbacca finally was able to pull his ship out of the hanger, it was with a great deal of relief. Sitting in a contained space with an antsy teenage girl was getting on the Wookie's nerves. Now, however, as they pulled into the atmosphere, she sat, her muscles tense and prepared. However, internally she was much more calm. He could sense that she had been through a lot, and he wished he could help her. He sighed as he looked at her and once again wondered who exactly he had gotten stuck with. There was so much about the girl he did not know.

Chewbacca kept his eyes peeled for any sign of the Imperial Star Destroyer that was supposed to be above the port. They were not sure exactly where the exchange was to take place, but hoped that they would spot the destroyer before the exchange happened. As Buffy caught her first sight of Tatooine from high above, she found herself a little disappointed. They were still inside the atmosphere, but in her mind, she had assumed it would look like Earth, beautiful in green and blue splendor. Instead, it looked like an extremely large dust bunny. There was hardly any water anywhere. Buffy sank back into her seat dejectedly just in time to get her first view of an Imperial Star Destroyer.

If the planet hadn't impressed her, the warship definitely did. Sleek and built like an arrowhead in shape, the Destroyer hung over the planet. Its very attitude and size seemed to scream the futility of getting on its bad side. Buffy's eyes widened and pointing at the great white warship she said, in a voice much too calm, "You want to attack that?"

Chewbacca shook his head in a negative.

Buffy sighed relieved and relaxed into her chair, but the next instant she was up again, confused. "Well, then, what are we attacking?" she demanded.

Chewbacca pointed over at another ship. It looked similar to the Star Destroyer, though it was only about half as long.

"What is that?" Buffy asked, "It looks a lot like the other one."

"He said," translated Mr. Gordo, "It is an Acclamator I-class assault ship. It's an earlier model of the Star Destroyer. It was used in the Republic to transport clone troopers. The Trandoshans have gotten their hands on several. Mi.…I mean, Buffy, my informational databases contain some more information as well if you would like to hear it."

"Um, not right now, Mr. Gordo," Buffy said, her brain trying to figure out what Chewbacca was planning. Finally she turned to him. "Chewbacca, you are aware that our little ship going up against either of those monsters would end up with us being squashed correct?"

Chewbacca chuckled and began to explain. As Mr. Gordo translated, Buffy truly began to understand just how smart the Wookie was.

"He said, 'we are not going to attack either ship directly. Their very size is what works in our favor. They think that nothing can touch them so they don't worry about the other little ships flying around the sector. Also, the slave transport will be forced to travel a great distance due to the fact that neither of the two Destroyers can get closer to each other than they are right now."

"Why is that?" Buffy asked, her curiosity piqued. She'd never been interested in all this sciency stuff in school, but now that it actually applied to her, it was suddenly interesting.

"They both have a shield that extends quite a distance from the actual hull of their ships. This shield is to stop other ships' attacks, but at the same time, if the older model and the newer model get too close sometimes problems end up happening. For example, on rare occasions, their tractor beams have become connected and drawn both ships to crash into each other. They find it safer to stay a little farther apart."

"Okay," Buffy nodded. Then, because she was curious, she asked, "What exactly are tractor beams?"

Chewbacca once again looked at her in surprise. The droid dutifully translated as Chewbacca rumbled a question full of curiosity.

"He asks, 'Where exactly DID you come from?"

When Buffy just shrugged and turned to look back at her controls, Chewbacca didn't press the issue. Instead, he answered her question. "Tractor beams are particles that reach out from the ship and pull in objects from the exterior of the ship to the interior of the ship. You really don't want to be caught in them. However, because they are using the ships they are using, we don't have to worry about that today."

Buffy lifted her head from the panel and said, "So, big guy, what's the plan?"

Chewbacca grinned. He had a feeling she would like it, and he was not disappointed.

She suddenly seemed to just _glow_ from excitement and giggled in a very non-Slayer-like way.

"Oh, this is going to be so much fun."


	6. Chapter 5

A/N: Has anyone else noticed Fanfiction doesn't really seem to be working right over the last few days? I thought I hadn't gotten any reviews for the last chapter because I hadn't gotten any e-mails, but when I went and checked, I found quite a few. Not to mention search isn't working. Oh well.

Here's chapter 5. I hope you enjoy it. It's a little longer than the last one. A bit more action as well. Thank you to all those that reviewed. It helps keep me motivated!

I have been amazed at the response to this story. I've put up other stories before, but even my stories that have been out for several years haven't received nearly as many reviews or hits as this one has already. Thank you to all those that are reading. It makes me feel appreciated.

Brief Review Responses:

WhiteWolf 3: Don't worry, this chapter covers all that. I tried to update as quickly as possible.

Enchantedlight: Thanks for your continual reviews.

Cylon One: Actually, this older version of the star destroyer was first seen in Episode 2. The Trandoshans were able to acquire some. I'm glad you liked the scene between Buffy and Chewie.

Claddagh: Welcome, new reader! I hope this is up to your expectations. Hooray! I made you favorite story list! Very excited I am. As for a certain character….well, just wait.

Tanydwr: Hmmm, I don't know why the speech would sound familiar. I swear it was completely original when I thought it up. I will admit it does contain a little of my own personal philosophy. I haven't read the story you mentioned….yet anyway. Yes, it was very late at night when I wrote that chapter and it took a turn I wasn't expecting it to. Don't worry, both the Millenium Falcon and Han will be making an appearance. As for when….well stay tuned.

Gloriana the Younger: Thank you for reviewing. I hope you continue to enjoy it.

Now on to the chapter!

Chapter 5

The Malla cruised gently through the atmosphere as the time for the slave trade drew near. Chewbacca kept his eyes glued on the small opening on the Trandoshan's ship where the transport would come through, and Buffy fingered the weapons idly. They were both wearing what Buffy had called, "Space Suits," but without the helmets. Buffy felt a bit bulky, and even though the suits were not white, she felt like she was trying to mimic a stormtrooper. Chewbacca had bought the suit for her before they left the docking bay.

Chewbacca grunted suddenly, and Buffy's head shot up, her eyes focusing. She was able to see a door sliding open from the side of the Trandoshan's vessel and out flew a small ship. Chewbacca gave a happy grin and rumbled a few comments that Mr. Gordo was quick to translate.

"Chewbacca seems very happy. He says it is a Sentinel-class transport. It is often used to transport troops in between ships and down to planet surfaces. Luckily for us, it also has a hyperdrive installed. There will be a pilot, a co-pilot, and three gunners. The ship is equipped with two forward and two aft shield generators. The opening to the interior is just behind the cockpit, so we'll have to aim pretty carefully."

Buffy looked with her better-than-normal vision at the slowly moving shuttle and shook her head. "It looks like a shark," she said. When Chewbacca gave her a quick, curios glance, and she elaborated, "See, it's got the fin that sticks straight up off its back, and two fin-like wings on either side. Is it dangerous?"

Chewbacca nodded even as he began to slowly angle the Malla toward the Sentinel. "He says it has an ion cannon installed just behind the cockpit and eight laser cannons on the sides. However, our plan should nullify that threat."

"Are you sure you can do this, Chewbacca?" Buffy asked, as doubt filled her for an instant. It was a risky plan, and even though she didn't know much about flying ships, she knew enough to know that the slightest mistake could cause severe injury or death.

Chewbacca turned and looked at her for a moment before a full grin split his features and then he sent the Malla spinning in what looked to be an uncontrolled roll. As Buffy whooped loudly as adrenaline filled her, Chebacca made small adjustment that sent his spinning craft rushing straight toward the Sentinel transport.

Buffy kept her eyes glued to the computer in front of her as the viewscreen filled itself alternatively with white lines from space and a dusty blur from down below. Buffy laughed and whooped again. Disney World had NOTHING on spinning in a spaceship. Chewbacca amazed her as he readjusted the ship one more time to compensate for the Sentinel's movements, which had finally spotted them. They were close enough by that time, that Buffy could catch glimpses of face filled with terror in the front of the cockpit. Mr. Gordo gave a loud mechanical shriek of fear as Chewbacca also bellowed happily from the rush.

For the Imperials in the Sentinel, the transport had been very mundane. They had flown over to the Trandoshan's vessel, loaded the Wookie slaves on the ship, attached them with binder-cuffs, and then launched back toward their own Star Destroyer. However, as they reached the half-way point, the co-pilot suddenly noticed a dirty-white shape that was hurtling toward them.

"SIR!" he yelped.

The Pilot's attention was immediately turned out the side of the viewing screen and he saw a ship in an out of control spin headed straight for them.

"They're too close, sir!" the co-pilot yelped. "If we blast them at that range, they'll hit us and explode. We're going to hit!"

Buffy was thankful for Slayer stamina. If she had been a regular human, the spinning would have made her deathly ill by now. However, even with the Slayer stamina, she felt a bit nauseous. She couldn't help but hope Chewbacca wouldn't kill them with this stunt.

As they were almost upon the Sentinel transport, Chewbacca reached up and hit the rear stabilizers. As they slowly initialized, the spinning began to slow down. Chewbacca knew he had to time this perfectly and he hesitated over the button that would energize the magnetic fields he had just installed recently. He began to count in his head how long it took the ship to make a full turn and made some fast calculations by how approximately fast they were going and the angle at which they were approaching. As he reached the climax of his final turn, he initialized the magnetic field.

He had timed it perfectly. The magnetic fields initialized as the ship completed the spin, and the two ships, bare meters apart were suddenly drawn together, causing their doors collide straight on. As the Malla rolled again, the Sentinel attached to its outer hull like a leech and it began to spin with the Malla.

The outer hull of the Sentinel crunched slightly, but it was heavily armored, and Chewbacca had slowed down the spin enough that the hull was able to survive. The magnetic field that he had activated also served to disrupt the transport's deflector shields, causing them to short circuit for an instant as the two ships became attached. The Malla's momentum caused the two ships to hurtle out of the atmosphere on a straight course toward space. As they rolled away from the gravitational pull, Chewbacca initialized the thrusters sending them even further away. The ship slowly spun to a stop. A moment of eerie peace followed, and Buffy couldn't help but be shocked that they were actually alive, let alone that it had worked. After they were at a safe distance, Chewbacca shut down the thrusters, and unbuckling his belt bellowed at Buffy. She sat frozen in her seat for a moment, and then she quietly breathed, "Wow, now THAT was some wicked crazy space driving."

Chewbacca impatiently bellowed at her again, and she shook herself out of her stupor and jumped up to follow him. They ran to the exit and whipped on their helmets. Chewbacca sealed the chamber behind them, allowing the oxygen to remain inside the Malla as they opened the outer door. The magnetic field had sealed the two ships together and the Sentinel's outer door was right in front of them.

Chewbacca examined the doorway and then he grunted, and Buffy, concerned, asked, "What's wrong?"

He began to grumble as he fiddled with his blaster, and Mr. Gordo translated, "He's upset because he wasn't exact when it came to having the two door meet. They are about six centimeters off."

Buffy rolled her eyes. She doubted anyone else could have pulled that move off at all, let alone with only six centimeters worth of error. Chewbacca quickly blasted the controls for the door into the outer hull and then they both slipped inside as it opened. Chewbacca then pushed a button on the interior control and the door swiftly closed behind them, causing the chamber to fill with oxygen. Keeping their masks on, Chewbacca blasted the next door that led into the cockpit.

The two pilots were over the controls when the door opened, and they whirled around to see a very large suited figure and a shorter figure burst into the cockpit. Chewbacca quickly stunned them both and Buffy threw a pouty look in his direction, which he couldn't see because of her helmet.

"I wanted one," she complained, and Chewbacca laughed. Just then the door behind them burst open and the three gunners came rushing in, only to be met by Buffy. Within 10 seconds, she had all three on the ground unconscious. Chewbacca sighed, a noise Buffy didn't need Mr. Gordo to translate.

"What?" she asked. He shook his helmeted head and chuckled, throwing two of the crewmen over his shoulders. Buffy smirked and grabbed another two by the back of their uniforms and followed Chewbacca as he wandered into the back of the ship and thrust his two men into the escape pod. Buffy tossed her two in as well, and went back to grab the last gunner. Chewbacca searched the men briefly, and then he went toward the Cargo Hold to find the young Wookies.

He attempted to key open the door using the control panel, but when it asked for a password, he grew impatient and blasted it open. The door slowly opened, its mechanics shrieking, and Chewbacca looked inside. He found around thirty young Wookies and three or four adults all staring at him in surprise and wonder as he pulled off his helmet and grinned at them. They all wore binder-cuffs, and using the remote he had found in the pilot's pocket he quickly unlocked their cuffs. The older Wookies sighed in relief and thanked him profusely.

"We've got to hurry," Chewbacca rumbled, "the Imperials will figure out what's going on eventually, especially after the escape pod jettisons."

"Who are you?" one of the older Wookies asked.

"I'm Chewbacca, son of Attichitcuk."

The other Wookies growled their recognition, and one said, "I am Kyysharaaba, son of Tyyrn. We are from the rival clan of Tvrrdko, and though our tribe's leader and you have declared yourselves enemies, we are forever in your debt. Whatever may come, we may consider us friends, Chewbacca, son of Attichitcuk."

Chewbacca nodded solemnly, and the two shook hands. Chewbacca then handed the remote to him.

"Kyysharaaba, unlock the children's cuff's with this," he commanded, and then motioning to another Wookie, he said, "and you, go to the cockpit and set the coordinates for Kashyyyk." The young male nodded and began to head toward the door, when he suddenly stopped, hackles rising, a deep growl thundering in his throat. With a roar he charged toward the door, just as Buffy walked in. Though Buffy was surprised, she quickly reacted, side-stepping the Wookie's charge. As he stumbled past, she stuck her foot out and tripped him. He fell to the ground in a heap and she looked at Chewbacca reproachfully. The Wookies around her began to growl dangerously as the young Wookie scrambled back to his feet. One of the older females stepped in front of the children.

"Didn't you tell them I was coming?" she asked, looking a little annoyed as she pulled off her own helmet. The Wookies, momentarily surprised at the sight of a young woman, ceased growling for a moment, which gave Chewbacca time to interfere.

Chewbacca quickly bellowed to the riled Wookies, and they calmed down, though many still seemed upset. Chewbacca shook his head and sighed.

"This is Buffy," Chewbacca said, pointing to the small girl. "I owe a life debt to her. She has helped free you. She is not a threat."

One of the older Wookies snorted. "How could she be?" he growled, "she is barely the size of a child. And what kind of a name is Buffy? How did you manage to secure a life debt to one so small? What did she do, trip a man who was sneaking up on you?"

Buffy, who had been monitoring the conversation via Mr. Gordo, let out an indignant, "Hey!"

Chewbacca growled, dangerously. "Do not insult one to whom I owe a life debt. Buffy is an impressive warrior," he huffed. "As for her name, I did not ask. After all, all human names are strange. But we have not time for this. Any moment the Tie Fighters could come. Hurry and prepare yourselves for hyperdrive."

The Wookies nodded and began to go to work. One of the female Wookies took control of the children and buckled them into some of the seats provided for Stormtroopers. The other Wookies headed to the cockpit. Chewbacca shook hands one more time with them, and then bid them good luck. Buffy's face wore a dangerous scowl as she and Chewbacca headed back toward their own ship.

"The nerve of that guy!" Buffy growled. "Nothing is wrong with my name!" Then she stopped and casually said, "By the way, I pushed that button you told me to push and those Imperial guys were sent shooting away from the ship."

Chewbacca chuckled. She had such interesting ways of saying things. He understood that she meant she had jettisoned the escape pod. However, his chuckle was abruptly cut off as the ship began to rock from beneath them.

"Tie Fighters!" Mr. Gordo translated Chewbacca's bellow. Buffy nodded, figuring they were a bad thing and followed a running Chewbacca back into the Malla. Evidently the Star Destroyers had seen the escape pod jettison and had figured out what had happened. Unable to use tractor beams, or move any closer to each other, the Destroyers had deployed their short-range fighters instead.

As Buffy and Chewbacca replaced their helmets and opened the outer hull, they felt the jar of blaster fire on the ship's shields, which had reinitialized after Chewbacca had engaged the magnetic fields. They quickly entered the Malla, shut the outer hull's door, and ran toward the cockpit of the Malla. Chewbacca roared.

"He says they need cover fire. He'll handle the flying if you handle the shooting," a terrified Mr. Gordo proclaimed.

Buffy nodded and sat in her seat, buckling up. She was about to lower the targeting screen, when she stopped. She figured she'd shoot better if she didn't have the screen in the way. After all, her Slayer vision was much better than normal vision. Chewbacca disabled the magnetic field, and immediately, the two ships pulled apart.

Buffy got her first look at Tie Fighters as one buzzed past, firing bolts of light down at her. It was a round space ship, with two wings that jutted out from the side and stood parallel to its body. Red lights lanced from it, and the Malla shook slightly as their shielding took more damage. Buffy fingered the weapons and then, taking a deep breath, she relaxed.

She once again tried to focus and let the energy wash over her. This was serious, and could potentially be very deadly. It seemed like fun and games, but as she saw another beam hit the transport carrying the Wookies, Buffy's senses kicked in. Using that instinctive knowledge she always seemed to have with weapons, combined with what she had learned from Chewbacca earlier, she adjusted the power to a lower setting and began to squeeze off her shots. Green lights lanced from the four guns around the prow. She used a few foot triggers to squeeze off shots from the guns under the wings as well. She felt herself and the guns become one, and she fired to disable to Tie Fighters.

There were over twenty of them, and they obviously were not expecting much trouble from the two ships. As the Sentinel transport began to fire, the Tie Fighters ducked and weaved away from the light, attempting to disable it. They had been commanded to recapture the slaves, if at all possible. However, as the unknown ship fired at them, they began to know true fear.

The pilot of the ship was incredible, though most had already at least heard about how he had managed to steal the transport under their very noses, so they expected that. However, as the plasma bolts began to rip from the unknown ship, they found themselves horrified at the unknown gunner's accuracy. The combination of the two was terrifying. The pilot would spin the ship in moves that didn't seem possible and in the midst of these moves, the gunner would lance shots off at them that hit them as they tried to dodge and fire their own guns. Even the most senior officers were becoming rattled.

Strangely, the gunner didn't seem to be trying to kill them, just disable them. The Tie Fighters' laser cannons were located on the bottom front of the Fighter, directly below the viewing screen. Somehow, despite the fact that they were very small and far away, the unknown ship's gunner was directly attacking the laser cannons at a low enough setting that it destroyed the cannons, but did not cause the Tie Fighters themselves to explode. That kind of accuracy would have been nearly impossible under normal conditions, but under fighting conditions this adverse, it shouldn't have been possible at all.

However, bolt after bolt hit with stunning accuracy leaving eight out of the twenty Tie Fighters without guns. They suddenly found themselves useless in the firefight. Only their commanding Lieutenant seemed to be able to avoid the frighteningly accurate blasts.

The Malla was taking heavy damage though. Chewbacca knew they couldn't last much longer. He had not been paying attention to what Buffy was doing. He was too worried about the Sentinel Transport. Whatever Buffy was doing seemed to have lessened the amount of lasers that were heading their direction, but there were still too many. One of the enemy pilots especially was an incredible fighter, and his bolts were hitting the Malla and the Sentinel with impressive accuracy. Chewbacca could feel the Malla's shields failing. It was then that he noticed the Sentinel's hyperdrive engines had just been activated. The enemy pilot seemed to notice as well. The Tie Fighter flew in low, aiming a blast at the hyperdrive engines and Chewbacca knew he had to do something.

He lurched the Malla in front of the blast, taking the brunt of it. As he did so, the Sentinel Transport leapt into hyperdrive, disappearing into the far outreaches of space, free from captivity. However, that freedom didn't come without a price. The final blast had knocked out the Malla's shielding, and the Malla was instantly at the mercy of the Stormtroopers' fire. Buffy continued to knock out the incoming Tie Fighter's guns, but even eight on one was still too many. A lucky shot from one of the Tie Fighters had managed to take out one pair of her guns, leaving the cockpit full of smoke. Buffy coughed as she used her senses to continue firing at the Tie Fighters. Another shot took out her other pair of guns and she found her hands useless. The ship was jarred with another laser burst, and Buffy could smell fire somewhere inside the Malla. She continued firing with her feet triggers, but she was quickly losing concentration. She suddenly smelled burned fur, and instantly, she forgot all about firing.

She unbuckled her seatbelt and leapt to the side of Chewbacca. He was unconscious, his side burnt badly. His side of the cockpit had been damaged by a recent burst of fire. Buffy knew she had to get him out of there. Unbuckling the heavy Wookie, she awkwardly slung one of his huge arms over her shoulder and half-carried/half-dragged him to the escape pod at the back of the Malla. The air was filled with smoke, and she coughed as she used all of her superhuman strength to make it there in record time. Quickly, she locked the doors and then used the same button he had shown her on the Sentinel to jettison them away from the Malla. Just after she did so, the Malla burst into flames. Buffy couldn't help but feel an ache inside as she lost yet another home.

The Tie Fighters quickly spotted the escape pod, but instead of firing at it, they simply circled it. Buffy, feeling lightheaded after all the smoke and her trance-like concentration, couldn't figure out why, but she didn't worry about it for long.

"Come on, Chewbacca," she whispered. "Don't leave me, you've got to hang on."

Chewbacca's form was breathing raggedly, and the smell of burnt fur was making her nauseous. However, after a few moments, he began to breathe more evenly, and she sighed in relief, stroking the soft fur on his head. She couldn't lose her only friend now. At that moment, the escape pod was jarred and Buffy scrambled to her feet, trying to see what had happened. In the small window that she could see out of, what she saw filled her with dread.

In her vision, the Imperial Star Destroyer was drawing near, and from the way the escape pod was being pulled, Buffy guessed they were caught in a Tractor Beam. The Tie Fighters flew around them in formation, and flew into the hanger, returning to their designated spots. As Buffy watched her pod enter the gaping maw of the Star Destroyer, she couldn't help but wonder how they were going to get out of this one.

A/N: Sneak peak! A very recognizable figure shows up next chapter. Stay tuned!


	7. Chapter 6 Who's That Stormtrooper?

A/N: Apologies, everyone. Sorry, for the long delay. There is a long story involved about why I haven't updated this in a while...which involves my laptop, broken keys, busy life, obsessions for new series, and several distractions that I'm sure you don't really want to hear about. What you really want is a new chapter, and I'm here to provide that for you. Thanks to all those who have encouraged me to continue. Hopefully I'll start being a little more regular.

Someone also made a request that they'd like to know when this takes place, so from now on, I will have a date sort of thing below the Chapter number. Hopefully that helps those confused. BBY stands for Before Battle of Yavin, a.k.a. A New Hope. Again, this is AU, so many events will be different.

Anyway, on to the story. I'd like to thank Dark Phoenix 13X, Iceflame55, enchantedlight, Dnic5, Angel-love-Buffy, screaminheathen69, Cylon One, firstqueen, bobboky, Maxennce, The Voice, Azera-v, cRiMsOnGoDdEsS01, redcristal, and Saetan for their compliments and suggestions. If anyone has anything they'd like to suggest to me, you can contact me through my profile page. However, I will tell you that most parts of this story are already set in stone. Just so you know. Sorry, I'm going to shut up now. Enjoy!

Chapter 6

(5 BBY)

Buffy felt the transport settle and she could hear the movements of the stormtroopers outside. Nervously, she shook Chewbacca's shoulder. "Come on, Chewbacca," she whispered, "you need to wake up."

Chewbacca groaned and remained unconscious. Buffy frantically looked around. Those were people out there, not demons. She wasn't sure what she should do. She only had a few seconds to think and the only thing that would come to mind was that she needed to protect Chewbacca.

Deciding that was all she really needed to decide, she raised herself to her feet and faced the door. The stormtroopers were already starting to burn their way in. Buffy settled herself into a fighting stance and tensely waited for the door to fall.

As it slowly tumbled to the ground like a tree, Buffy was off. She did not wait for the stormtroopers to enter, she charged them with a wild cry, barreling into the first trooper. She hit him with such force, that he flew into the trooper behind him and they both crashed to the ground unconscious. Buffy continued her charge. She leapt into the fray, leaving her enemy baffled and frightened as the small, gray whirlwind of flying feet and hands began to reap havoc on their troops. She was blindingly fast, fast enough she had managed to land blows on ten troopers before they recovered enough to shoot.

One trooper, the lieutenant who had led the charge against The Malla in space, roared through his helmet, "Stun only! Do not shoot to kill!"

Instantly, Buffy found herself dodging large bands of light. She growled angrily as one nicked her arm and she felt it become numb. Ignoring the pain, she rammed the numb arm into the stormtrooper's face who had shot her. The man howled and swung his blaster at her. She caught his arm and used it to toss the man over her head. However, as she paused briefly, she saw, as though in slow motion, the commanding lieutenant focus his blaster on her and she saw the band of light coming toward her. Jumping impossibly high, she managed to avoid the brunt of it, but felt the top of it score her back as she passed over it. She yelped and came crashing to the ground. He legs no longer felt as though they were functioning properly.

She growled and slowly pulled herself to her feet. Before she could move any further though, a large band of light crashed into her and knocked her once again to the ground. Her whole body felt numb, but she fought off the darkness that threatened to pull itself over her vision. To her surprise, she saw that the stormtroopers had all turned away, their attention once again toward the space ship where Chewbacca lay helpless. They evidently thought she was down and out for the count. A flare of helpless rage shot through her, and she pulled herself trembling to her feet. She ignored the numb feeling and charged at the stormtroopers knocking them down like bowling pins. Cries of surprise followed her charge and she struck out, no longer thinking, simply concentrating on the moment. She could almost_ feel_ the stormtroopers shock as they tried to defend themselves. The lieutenant who had shot her before, once again carefully aimed, and Buffy, in the midst of punching, did not see the final shot until too late. Once again she was hit directly with the blast, and as she collapsed like a string-less puppet, she heard the awed whispers around her and realized that she had failed. Both she and Chewbacca were now at the stormtroopers' mercy.

As the young girl collapsed to the ground and lay still, the lieutenant, slowly pulled off his helmet and gazed at her in awe. She was a thin, pretty thing, obviously very strong despite her youthful appearance. The lieutenant shook his head, and smiled a cocky half smile, his brown hair sweaty and mushed from being under the helmet so long.

A cry from the escape pod reached the lieutenant's ear as one of his stormtroopers yelled, "It's a Wookie, Lieutenant Solo. There are no other passengers. Just the girl and the Wookie."

Han Solo, lieutenant in the Imperial Army, sighed and ran a gloved hand through his hair. This was going to be a difficult one to explain. Commander Nyklas was not going to like this.

"Alright, soldiers," Lieutenant Solo cried, "stop staring around in shock and get to work. Take the injured men to the infirmiry, see that they get proper care. Then I want you to secure the prisoners and prepare them for questioning. I'm sure Commander Nyklas would like a word with them." The men nodded and set to work.

Two of the men put binder cuffs on the young girl's arms and picked her up. Lieutanant Solo could see some wandering eyes so he snapped, "Keep your hands off the prisoner or I'll stuff them someplace very unpleasant." The two soldiers nodded and stood straighter, obviously fearing their commanding officer's wrath. Four others had put cuffs on the Wookie and were now attempting to haul the large bipedal out of the small escape pod. A few more men went to help, and they managed to drag the Wookie down the ramp.

Lieutenant Solo looked regretfully at the sight of the Wookie as another face flashed through his mind, but he quickly suppressed the image. "Moonrider!" he snapped with more force than necessary as he tried to curb his conscience. The young man whose name he had called jumped and saluted quickly.

"Sir!" he yelped.

"Go report the situation to Commander Nyklas."

The young boy's face filled with terror, and Lieutenant Solo couldn't help another pang of guilt. However, the boy simply saluted again and ran off.

Lieutenant Solo followed the girl and the Wookie as they were dragged down toward the interrogation chambers. No one noticed the small robot that stealthily followed.

The interrogation chambers themselves were not too frightening in appearance. It was a simple room, with white walls and a couple of chairs. A computer monitor was embedded into one of the nearby walls. It was the things within the room that filled the waiting soldiers with fear. Hovering around the edges of the room, black as the deepest pit of Hades, floated the interrogation droids. Each one spherical in shape, they gave off a demeanor that filled even Lieutenant Solo with dread. He had seen them in action, and once again he felt guilt fill him, and once again he viciously pressed it down. This was no time for attacks of conscience, even if one of the prisoners was a Wookie. Once again a kind, gentle face filled Han's mind, but he shook his head, dissipating the thought.

The doors burst open in that instant, and Moonrider flew in, skidding to a stop in front of Lieutenant Solo.

"Commander Nyklas is on his way, sir," the young boy gulped, the whites of his eyes unusually predominant. Evidently the Commander had not liked the news at all.

At that moment, the doors once again burst open and Nyklas walked in. Nyklas was a middle aged man, with irate brown eyes etched under bushy eyebrows. He had a shortly-trimmed beard that started at the corner of his upper lip and arched in a cynical way down to his chin ,and then back up to his hair line. His hair was brown and refused to lie flat against his head. His teeth were grinding audibly as he stormed up to Lieutenant Solo.

"What is the meaning of this? Where are my slaves, Solo?"

Lieutenant Solo stood stiffly at salute, as did the rest of his men. "They escaped, Sir," he said in a loud clear voice. "They were freed by two nefarious pilots, whom we now have in custody."

"Two pilots!" Nyklas shrieked, "Two? What kind of idiot do you take me for? How in the seventh galaxy did two pilots manage to set free a bunch of hairy slaves in the middle of a slave transfer? Who is responsible for this, Solo? Who?" Spit flew from Nyklas's mouth, showering Solo as he stood, his eyes locked on a spot above Nyklas's head. He just knew Nyklas was going to react this way.

"If you'll forgive my saying so, Sir," Lieutenant Solo said, "I think the responsible ones are sitting there before you ready for interrogation to find out exactly how this happened. Obviously someone spilled information about the slave transfer. It would be good to question them to find out who talked."

Nyklas's eyes seemed to grow even more wild. "They may have been the perpetrators, Solo, but someone allowed them to get away with it! You are hereby grounded until further notice, Solo. Your flying privileges have been removed. From now on you stay on this ship until further notice, is that understood?"

Solo nodded brusquely. Out of all the punishments he could have received, this wasn't the worst, but for him it ranked pretty close. Solo lived to fly. He excelled at it. He had graduated as one of the top pilots from the Academy of Carida. He could feel his soldiers shift uncomfortably around him. They all knew they most likely wouldn't have caught the prisoners if Lieutenant Solo hadn't been there. However, they kept still. Stiff military protocol demanded silence in the presence of commanding officers.

Nyklas, his anger vented at Solo, turned to look at the two prisoners. "A Wookie," he spat, "I should have expected that. Now what do we have here?" A curious note appeared in his voice as he gazed at the young girl who sat strapped to a chair.

"She was conscious when we captured the escape pod. She managed to injure quite a few of my men before we were able to subdue her. She took two stunblasts before she collapsed."

At this information, Nyklas turned stunned eyes on Lieutenant Solo. "How is that possible, Solo?" Nyklas asked. "Was your blaster in some way defective?"

Lieutenant Solo shook his head. "No, sir. She is remarkably strong for her appearance. It almost seems as though she is not human."

At that moment, the subject of their conversation stirred. She blearily opened her eyes and groaned. "Okay," she said, "did someone get the number of that truck?"

At the sound of her voice, the stormtroopers around her jumped back in fear and leveled their blasters at her head. Awakening to consciousness fully, Buffy froze at the sight of all the muzzles staring her in the face.

"Sheesh," she muttered, "can't I ever wake up normally?"She turned her head sideways to look at Chewbacca, and to her relief, saw that he was breathing normally and simply seemed to be sleeping.

"How is she awake already?" one of the soldiers muttered.

Nyklas's face flashed with a dark smile as he stepped in front of Buffy. "Well, well. I see you are awake."

Buffy looked at him skeptically and said, "And I see you are a moron."

Nyklas sputtered angrily. Buffy rolled her eyes and looked at the young man next to him. He was an attractive young stormtrooper, if you like that type, and he appeared to be young, only 23 or 24. He also seemed much more intelligent than the sputtering idiot standing in front of her.

She sighed and turned back to the sputtering idiot. "Look. It's been a long day. I'm sure everyone is tired. So, why don't you let me and my buddy go, and we'll just be taking off. See, I love you , you love me, we're a happy family. No hard feelings."

As the room filled with confused looks, Buffy sighed again. "Nobody gets me," she pouted.

Nyklas finally seemed to recover. "Listen here, little missy," he hissed, "you and your 'buddy' have gone and done a very bad thing. Now going against imperial rule is a high crime, one that is punishable by death. However, since we now do not have enough slaves to meet our quota, you and your 'buddy' will be taking their places."

"Lucky us," Buffy's dry voice came back.

"Believe me," Nyklas said, his teeth bared in a carnivorous grin, "you'll soon wish you were dead."

He then turned to Lieutenant Solo. "You are in charge of the prisoners. Prepare them for interrogation. I shall return shortly. When I do, we'll put slave collars on the both of them." And with that, the man stalked from the room.

Lieutenant Solo sighed. "Look, everyone get back to your posts. I'll handle the prisoners."

The men moved out gratefully, glad to be away from Nyklas and back to what they were used to doing.

The young Lieutenant moved to the side of the Wookie and checked his vital signs. Then, he began to shake the gigantic creature, attempting to wake him from his unconscious state. Buffy watched him like a hawk, making sure he wasn't harming Chewbacca, but he seemed surprisingly gentle around the big creature.

"So, Crack Shot, you got a name?" Buffy said after a moment.

"Crack shot?" he asked, turning to her with a raised eyebrow.

"You're the one that hit me earlier, aren't you?" she said.

Han looked a little surprised, "I am, but how could you possibly know that? I was wearing my helmet."

Buffy shrugged as best as she could and simply said, "Your uniform looks different." She waited and after a moment, Han realized she was waiting for the answer to her question.

"Lieutenant Han Solo," he said, "and you are?"

"Buffy Summers. Although I'm not sure I should be fraternizing with the enemy."

"Fraternizing?"

"You know, making with the nice."

Chewbacca chose that moment to wake up, which he did with a roar. He pulled, howling with all his might at his cuffs.

"Easy, Chewbacca! Easy," Buffy said.

Chewbacca finally heard her voice and turned to look at her. He huffed something softly, and she shrugged. "Sorry, Chewbacca, I seem to have lost Mr. Gordo."

Chewbacca looked even more concerned and huffed something again. Buffy shrugged once again. Han looked back and forth between the two. Then he burst out laughing.

They both turned and glared at him, but he kept laughing. "You can't understand him, can you?" he finally asked.

They both just continued glaring.

"He asked if you were alright. Then he asked how you got here. The last thing he remembers is diving in front of the shot that was about to hit the other Wookies."

Both glares turned to looks of shock. "Wait a minute," Buffy cried, "does everyone but me know Wookeese?"

"It's actually called Shyriiwook," Han said, "not Wookeese."

Chewbacca huffed a question at him. Han laughed again, "I was taught it by someone very important to me when I was younger. I have a soft spot for Wookies, you might say."

Now Chewbacca bellowed. Han's expression hardened. "I'm sorry, but that's impossible. I am member of the Imperial Fleet. I take my orders from my commanding officers. I will attempt to make your time here as easy as possible, but I can only do so much. The rest is up to you. Don't resist the questioning and you'll be better off. Now I have to go and prepare the interrogation droids."

He turned away, but Chewbacca roared another question at him. Buffy really began to wish that Mr. Gordo was here.

Han turned around and looked sadly at Chewbacca. "Yes, it is an IT-0 interrogation droid."

Chewbacca seemed to choke a bit, and then he turned and wailed something to Buffy. Buffy didn't need a translation to know they were in deep trouble.


	8. Chapter 7: Shocking Changes

A/N: I'm back! Hope you enjoy the next installment of this story. Sorry it's been such a long time.

Okay, so I've gotten a lot of questions about pairings. Heh. *Said in sing-song tone of voice*= "I know what's going to happen and you don't." Hee hee. Let's just say...hmmm...there WILL be a pairing in this story...but I don't want to give anything away. SO...you'll all have to sit there and wonder. I'm NOT spoiling my story. And hopefully the built up tension caused by your curiosity will cause you to continue reading. So, enjoy!

Thanks for the reviews! Keeps me going! I forgot how fun they are!

Chapter 7

5 BBY

A few minutes later, Commander Nyklas returned with a smaller man. The man looked the part of a scientist with slicked back hair and small glasses that perched on the bridge of his nose like a vulture.

He seemed excited as he approached the two prisoners.

"Good evening," he said, smiled an overly-eager smile. For some reason it creeped Buffy out. "My name is Hurk Starslider. I will be your interrogator today. Is there anything you would like before we begin?"

Buffy and Chewbacca just stared at him in shock. This nervous skinny man was certainly not what they were expecting.

"Very well," he said, "then Commander Nyklas has requested that we begin with placement of slave collars. As you probably know, we will be using the IT-0 brand of Interrogation Droids today, and they will be assisting me as we decide the voltage of your new slave collars. They will be censoring your vital signs, and informing me of when the voltage is correct. You will feel several minor jolts as we judge how much your bodies can handle, but then we will begin the real interrogation. Feel free to complain at any time. Now, let's begin!" Buffy decided his sincere smile was somewhat out of place.

A thin collar was placed around her neck and she heard it click shut, but she didn't see where the catch was. Then a collar was placed on Chewbacca's neck as well. Chewbacca growled angrily at the man and Buffy added, "That's telling 'em, big guy!"

The skinny man looked at them sadly. "Please don't try to resist," he said, his voice sounding hurt, "we are not trying to harm you, simply trying to help you find acceptance with your new life. The quicker you surrender to the force of the Empire, the happier you will be."

"The quicker you shut up your stupid rambling, the happier I'll be," Buffy shot back, "What were you, like, a Nazi in a former life?"

The man gave her a look, which reminded her of a kicked puppy, and then pushed a button on a control in his hand. Nothing seemed to happen. The man began to look excited again.

"Fascinating," he said, as he looked at Buffy and interest filled his features, "at a normal amount of electricity all vital signs remained unchanged. I shall try to double the pulse to see if this creates a difference in the level of activity."

The man tinkered with the control for another minute, and then pushed the button again, the expression on his face now reminding Buffy of a kid at Christmas. This time, Buffy thought she almost felt something, but the sensation was quickly suppressed. She glared at the twisted man and ground out, "Was that supposed to hurt?"

The man just beamed at her. "Yes!" he exclaimed, "Yes! It was supposed to cause you extreme agony. In a regular adolescent humanoid it would have bordered on excruciating. Almost unbearable. The fact that you remain unaffected is surprising!"

Buffy lifted her eyebrows and glanced over at Chewbacca. She could tell that he was growing worried for her and she could see the silent message in his eyes, even if she wouldn't have understood it if he had actually asked the question.

"I'm fine," she whispered, "it really doesn't hurt."

He looked relieved, but the relief only lasted a moment as Hurk began to push more buttons. "Let's try five times the level of a regular human. This voltage is nearly up to the prescribed level for a wookie. I would be most amazed if you didn't suffer an immense incapacitating pain with this voltage!"

"Listen, Jerk," Buffy said, "why are you doing this? Why don't you just let us out of here, and we'll be on our way?"

"No, no, Specimen 1," the man said, not really paying attention as he continued to readjust buttons, "it's Hurk, not jerk. And there!" he said, excitedly, "I've got it. Prepare yourself." Not knowing what to expect, Buffy didn't what exactly she was supposed to prepare for.

At first, she didn't feel anything, then the pulse began to work it's way through her body. She could feel the electrical current travel through her system with a numbing effect that she tried to fight off. It was painful, but nothing she couldn't handle. She ignored the feeling and focused on the doctor instead as his face became an interesting shade of white.

"Th-th-this, it's, well astounding! Incredible!" the man roared. "I must get Dr. Littlerock in here. He will be fascinated! Quickly," he said, turning the imperial trooper at the door, "fetch Dr. Littlerock! He'll want to see this." He shut the collar off and waited impatiently for the other man to return. Chewbacca was beginning to growl at the doctor as his frustration, injuries, and worry became too much.

The doctor turned in surprise as Chewbacca's growling caught his interest. "Oh, right," he said, "we should finish your collar while we're waiting, so we can get you out of here and back to work." Dr. Hurk Starslider quickly picked up the other controller and pushed the big button. Chewbacca spasmed, and clenched his teeth as his muscles seemed to lock in place. Buffy began to yell furiously as a small moan escaped Chewbacca's mouth.

"Shut if off!" she yelled, unwilling to let her friend's pain continue. Dr. Starslider ignored her and nodded in apparent distraction as he made some marks on a chart. Then he shut off the button. Chewbacca collapsed, gasping weakly. Buffy sought desperately to catch his eyes, but they were closed in pain. Dr. Starslider motioned to the two guards and they moved forward. "Remove this animal from the vicinity immediately," the Doctor said, "the other specimen may take longer than we planned. And I don't want this filth contaminating the area." The stormtroopers nodded, and unlocked the trembling form of her friend, quickly placing cuffs on his furry wrists. Chewbacca stumbled behind them in a daze, clearly disoriented. "Chewbacca!" she yelled, and she saw his eyes come up briefly and meet hers just before he was pulled from the room. Buffy stared at the place where he had just vacated hopelessly, and suddenly to her surprise, the door reopened. Expecting to see Chewbacca stormtrooperless, she was disappointed to see it was only another man who smiled malevolently at Buffy as he entered.

Compared to Dr. Starslider's child-like excitement, Dr. Littlerock was the calm of an ice age. The man practically glided into the room and quickly took control. "Why did you send for me, Doctor?" he asked, his voice soft and low.

"Specimen 1 is not responding to the normal charge for the collar, Dr. Littlerock!" Hurk said, as he practically bounced up and down in front of the other man. "I increased the current to five times that of a normal humanoid her size and weight, and it still has little effect on her."

The other doctor looked disbelieving. "I'm going to begin by assuming that your incompetence has skewed the data, Doctor," he said. He took the controller from the other Doctor and began to scan the readings. As he began to read, his face showed a haughty expression, but as he continued reading, he slowly began to lose his composure.

"This," he said, his voice a bit breathless, "is remarkable! Quickly, Doctor, increase the current again!"

Doctor Starslider grinned like a kid who'd just gotten the approval of the school's bully. "Immediately, sir!" He began to adjust and Buffy braced herself. However, this time, as the shock jolted through her, it was too much and suddenly she knew no more.

As the girl spasmed, shook, and limply relaxed, Dr. Littlerock wheeled on Dr. Starslider. "How high did you increase it?" he snapped.

"Ten times more," the other Doctor said, looking hopeful.

"You idiot!" Dr. Littlerock roared and ran over to Buffy's lifeless body. "She doesn't have a pulse!" he snapped. "You increased it too fast. Quickly, we must revive her before it is too late!"

Dr. Starslider jerked and raced forward, frantically keying commands into the medical droid nearby. They descended on the girl's frozen form, and after a few moments, she was once again gasping in precious air. Dr. Littlerock sighed in relief and wiped the sweat from his forehead.

"Now," he said, " we may begin again."

* * *

Chewbacca paced his cell angrily. He smashed his fist against the wall with frustration as he roared our his helplessness. Behind him, quietly, he heard the door open. Wheeling around he bared his fangs and came face to face with the young Lieutenant from earlier.

"Hey," the tall human said gently, "I brought you something to drink."

Chewbacca looked at it suspiciously. "No thank you," he snarled curtly.

Han sighed, "Look, I don't want to hurt you. I want to help you, but you've got to understand, I have plans. Big plans. I've got things I want to do, and though I like you a lot, I just...can't. So, just drink the water. Please?"

Chewbacca looked deep into the human's eyes, and deliberately turned his back on him. He felt his respect for the man growing, but if he wanted the guy's help he was going to have to manipulate his feelings a bit.

Han felt his heart drop as the cool blue eyes appraise him and then he was cruelly ignored. A similar furry, loving face rose up in his memory, and with a cry of rage, he threw the water against the wall.

"Fine," he snarled, "see if I care." And storming, Han stomped out of the room. Chewbacca sighed and hoped he was doing the right thing. Hopefully he hadn't just lost his only potential ally.

* * *

Buffy woke up with her body racked with pain. She was still tied down where she had last remembered, but Dr. Littlerock was gone, and Dr. Starslider smiled happily as he saw her regain consciousness.

"Remarkable recovery rate!" the Doctor said excitedly

"Ergh," Buffy groaned, "what happened?"

"Well...briefly you...died."

Buffy stared at the happy doctor and said, "I what?"

"Just for a moment!" the doctor quickly said, "but we brought you right back. I may have...inadvertently...on accidently, administered too high of a voltage at first. However, Dr. Littlerock quickly corrected my mistake, and now you're all better! He even figured out the correct voltage!"

"Swell," Buffy drawled.

The man smiled, missing her sarcasm completely. "It is indeed! We were going to interrogate you immediately, but now we'll have to wait for you and the wookie's complete recovery to insure the interroogation goes as smoothly as possible."

He motioned to the Stormtroopers at the door and they quickly came forward and began to release Buffy from her restraints. Buffy waited patiently until the last link was open, and then she made her move. Slamming her knee into the face of the closest Stormtrooper, she heard the man's helmet crack. At the same time she grabbed the other man's arm and threw him over her into the nearest wall. As she surged off the table, she saw the Doctor's finger move toward the trigger and press down on a button on the controller. And then she felt her collar activating.

The electricity entered her neck so forcefully, she felt the muscles in her throat contract under the collar. As the current spread through her body, she found herself unable to move as every part of her contricted and froze and agonizing pain ran up and down her body. She would have screamed but she couldn't move her jaw far enough to do so as she dropped to the ground. Then Dr. Starslider released the button. She sagged, her muscles relaxing involuntarily. The stormtroopers picked themselves off the floor and nodded their thanks to the doctor. Then they picked up her sagging form and dragged her from the room.


	9. Chapter 8: Unexpected Aid

Chapter 8

5 BBY

Buffy was thrown roughly into an empty cell. Groaning, she sat up and gently massaged her aching muscles. "Geez," she muttered, "can't they just let a girl die in peace?"

A concerned rumble came from the cell beside her, and Buffy jumped up.

"Chewbacca!" she yelled happily.

He growled something, his tone concerned, and she made her best guess as to his question. "I'm fine, Chew. Apparantly, I died briefly, but I'm all better."

Chewbacca bellowed, and the noise made Buffy's head ring. Rubbing her temples, she said, "Shh, Chewbacca. I'm fine, really. A little sore, but I'll be okay. They said they were going to leave us here to recover, and then they'd torture us, so really my death bought us a bit of time."

Chewbacca growled, a low threatening sounds, and Buffy reading the threat in his voice said, "Yeah, I want to rip them limb from limb too, but these stupid collars are preventing us from doing much damage. They just push a button, and its 'bye-bye, Buffy.' I tell you what, Chewbacca, if they give me half a chance..."

Chewbacca growled his agreement.

Groaning, Buffy sat against the wall, and said, "Hey, Chewbacca? I'm dead tired. I think that happens when you come back from being dead. Wake me up when they come back, okay?"

Chewbacca rumbled quietly, and Buffy wearily closed her eyes. Things were not looking good for the home team.

* * *

Commander Nyklas marched to the control room. "Leave me!" he bellowed at the guards, and quickly, the stormtroopers left the room. He then walked to the center of the room and kneeling, pressed a button. Almost instantly a three-dimensional figure appeared in front of him. The sounds of breathing filled the room, and Nyklas shuddered as the black-robed figure looked down upon him.

"What is the reason behind this interruption, Commander?" a deep voice growled.

"I have come upon an enigma of the strangest kind, Lord Vader," Nyklas said, trying to hide his nerves as much as he could. Darth Vader had always given him the creeps. "We have captured a girl who is far stronger than a normal human with reflexes that defy logic. I would almost call her a..."Nyklas paused, afraid to say the forbidden word.

"A Jedi?" Darth Vader supplied it for him.

"Yes, my Lord." Nyklas confirmed. "But for the fact that she seems even stronger than a Jedi. I am sending you the Dr. Littlerock's analysis immediately."

Darth Vader's consul beeped, and for a few moments, he scanned the readings. As he did so, Nyklas continued, "At first, we thought perhaps she was another species of alien, but all of the information indicates that she is definitely human."

Vader continued to read quietly, and then asked, "What is her name?"

"We have not yet obtained that information, my Lord."

"This is indeed impressive information. Do you have a S-1 collar in your possession?"

"We do, my Lord."

"Key it to the Emperor's frequency. I think he will desire to interrogate this prisoner himself. We will arrive within the next few days. Well done, Commander."

"Thank you, my Lord. You honor me."

"Yes. Do not disappoint me, Commander."

With that, the image disappeared, and Nyklas shuddered. It seemed the prisoner was more important than he thought. They had better be especially careful that they didn't lose this one.

* * *

A while later, Buffy woke up to hear a warning rumble from Chewbacca, and she jumped quickly to her feet, facing the front of her cell. She balled her hands into fists and glared dangerously at the door which slid open to reveal Nyklas and Dr. Littlerock. She eyed the doctor and saw the device in his hand that controlled her collar. So, calmly, she folded her arms and stared them both down.

"Did I invite you into my cell?" she quipped, "I think not. Sheesh, can't you bad guys even learn to knock?"

Nyklas lunged forward and back-handed her across the face. Her face jerked with the force of it, but the rest of her body didn't move. Instead, she turned her head back toward him, arched one elegant eyebrow and said, "Bad temper, much?"

Nyklas smirked. "I'm going to enjoy breaking you. But, first things first. What's your name?"

Buffy smirked, "You tell me yours, and I'll tell you mine."

Nyklas' smirk faded slightly. "Insolent creature. You will learn to fear me. Know the name of your captor. I am Commander Nyklas."

"Is that like Saint Nicholas? 'Cause you just don't have the disposition for it. There's nothing very jolly about you."

Nyklas growled and beckoned to someone outside of the cell, and a stormtrooper entered with a different collar in his hands. Buffy recognized the stormtrooper outfit as belonging to Han Solo.

"Wait a second," Buffy said, holding her hands up defensively. "I've already got me one of those. I think it goes much better with your outfit."

Nyklas just smiled. "Immobilize her, Doctor."

Littlerock smirked and pressed the button. Again, Buffy felt the shock course through her small frame. She collapsed on the ground, and the stormtrooper came forward and put the new collar on her neck an instant before he pressed a small device to the old collar and it dropped off her, leaving Buffy gasping painfully on the ground.

"Congratulations, slave," Nyklas said, "you've managed to gain the attention of some very important people. This new collar is very special. It can only be removed by the Emperor himself. It has been specifically modified for your level of pain tolerance. Now, once more, if you don't speak, we will begin inflicting pain upon the Wookie."

"You wouldn't dare," Buffy glared, her hands balling into fists.

Nyklas smirked. "Watch me," he said, and pushed a different button. From the next cell, Chewbacca began to howl, pain obvious in his voice. Protectively, Buffy took a step forward, and Nyklas laughed and raised up Chewbacca's control and said, "I wouldn't if I were you. Not unless you want your Wookie friend to be a pile of smouldering ashes."

Buffy froze, and with a down-right evil grin, Nyklas cranked Chewbacca's switch up a little. Chewbacca's howl turned into a scream of agony, and Buffy shouted, "Stop it!"

Chewbacca's screams echoed through Han's helmet, and as a pair of warm brown eyes filled Han's vision, he couldn't take it any more, and without thinking he lifted his weapon and fired a stun blast at Nyklas.

As Nyklas dropped to the ground, silence briefly seemed to fill the cell. Even Chewbacca's screams seemed muted in the shocked atmosphere that followed. Littlerock turned and stared in surprise at the Lieutenant. "Solo, what are you...?"

Now moving purely on instinct, Han hit him with a blast as well. Then, he rushed over to the controller and flipped it off. Chewbacca's scream died down to a soft whine of pain.

"What are you doing?" Buffy asked, surprise clearly written all over her face.

"I'm getting you two out of here," Han said. "Come on, we don't have time for you to stand there lallygagging. Let's get the hairball and go!" With that, he turned and rushed out of the cell.

"Lallygagging?" Buffy repeated as she ran out after him.

Han quickly keyed open the cell door and used his key to release the slave collar on Chewbacca's neck. Chewbacca grunted, and heaved himself to his feet. He was panting, and his eyes glittered with pain, but he was mobile.

"You alright, big guy?" Han asked. Chewbacca nodded, and Buffy quickly threw one of his hairy arms over her shoulders to help support him.

"Which way now?" she asked.

Without answering, Han turned and left the cell, and Buffy and Chewbacca followed as quickly as they could. They turned quite a few corridors, and Han would motion them back when stormtroopers would come toward them. Casually, Han would lean against the wall, and the stormtroopers would usually salute and keep going. Afterward, Han would wave them out, and then they would continue on their harried path.

They had almost reached the docking bay when the alarm began to sound. "Lieutenant Solo!" a stormtrooper cried behind them, "the prisoners have..." Then the man stared shocked at the sight of Buffy and the Wookie behind Han. He reached down to his communicator, but a large, spider-like object fell from the ceiling and skewered it with a long metallic leg. That gave Han the time he needed to fire his stun blaster at the man. As the man fell, the object jumped off him onto Buffy's shoulder.

"Mis...Buffy!" it cried in its robotic voice.

"Mr. Gordo!" Buffy said happily.

Han decided that the robot could wait since it obviously wasn't an enemy and quickly punched the door open, and the three of them ran into the bay. Han rushed toward the only vessel that could fit two humans and a wookie, and shoved Buffy and Chewbacca into the freighter. "Hurry up," he muttered, and as soon as the two were inside, he closed the door and dived into the pilot's seat. He quickly opened the docking bay's doors and began to start up the freighter. It wasn't fast, but it was fast enough. Han could only hope they had enough of a head start. The alarms continued to blare as the freighter rose from the ground and sailed off into space.

"Engaging hyperdrive," Han said, and the freighter shot off into hyperspace, barely missing a tractor beam that was fired after the vanishing ship.

* * *

Nyklas smashed his hands against the consul as the ship vanished into hyperspace.

Instantly fear replaced his anger and he gulped as he thought about a certain black-clothed man who was soon going to be visiting. "After them!" Nyklas shrieked.

"Where, sir?" one of the stormtroopers dared to ask. "We don't even know where they're going!"

In an instant, Nyklas drew his blaster and fired at the unfortunate man. The man's eyes opened in shock, and then slowly glazed over and he fell from his seat dead.

"You," Nyklas said, pointing at another soldier, "take his seat. Quickly follow that ship. When I get my hands on Solo, I..." Nyklas' voice trailed off as he could only hope that Darth Vader wouldn't do to him what he planned to do to Solo.


	10. Chapter 9: Healing and Dreaming

Chapter 9

1 Month Later

The planet was dark. The constant mist that shrouded the planet was so thick that even flames seemed muffled. Through the darkness, a dark-robed figure walked effortlessly toward a Cantina. Though the Cantina was busy, the mist muted the sounds from it, and it sounded as though the joyful noises came from far away, on a different sphere of reality.

The small black-cloaked stranger opened the door and stepped inside. The difference was as blatant as night and day. Music instantly enveloped the figure's ears, and she winced as her green eyes swept the Cantina. Finally they settled on a lone man sitting at the bar.

Even though all around him, creatures were laughing and joyous, the stranger seemed to be surrounded by a cloud of despair. Rolling her eyes, Buffy threw back her cloak and made her way toward the man at the bar.

Han Solo nursed his drink as he stared morosely at nothing. His thoughts were so intent, that he didn't hear her approaching until she laid a hand upon his shoulder and said, "Should've known I'd find you here."

Han jumped, spilling his drink on his new sleeve. Cursing, he wiped it up and glared at the small blonde, who just stared at him, unimpressed.

"Can't you just leave me alone?" he growled.

"Nuh-uh," Buffy said, shaking her head. "You saved me and Chewbacca. Somebody's got to watch your back. The imperialists are crawling all over the galaxy looking for you, and you're sitting at the bar getting drunk. Can you say stupid?"

"Get out of here," Han muttered and took another sip of his drink.

"Come on, fly boy," Buffy said, grabbing his arm and hauling him out of his chair. "Chewbacca wanted to show you something."

Han angrily tried to shake her off his arm. "Look, I don't need you or the furball, okay? Just leave me alone!"

Buffy rolled her eyes and continued to drag him toward the door. "Chewbacca said not to take no for an answer. You really need to get out of this bar. Whatever you're drinking is making you really unpleasant."

Han, finding himself unable to escape from Buffy's grip, allowed himself to be pulled out the door, ignoring the catcalls that followed from various sources.

"It's not the drink," Han muttered, as they left the bright lights of the Cantina and were once again enveloped in the muffling darkness. He rubbed his face, and Buffy looked surprised at the look of real pain the flashed across his features.

Spinning him around to face her, Buffy stared intensely into his face. "Look, Han. You've been a real pain in the rear ever since you saved our lives, and granted, we've given you a bit of slack because of the whole 'we owe you our lives' thing, but honestly? The pity-party is getting old. What's up with you?"

"You wouldn't understand," Han said. He sank down on a dead tree, and put his aching head in his hands, enjoying the feel of the cool mist against his skin.

"Try me," Buffy tried, crouching down in front of him.

Han sighed, and then, sensing something in the girl in front of him, he tried to explain his thoughts. "I grew up with nothing. No family, no home. I was less than a piece of trash. I always wanted to be something more, something respectable. Ever since I was a kid, I've lied, cheated, and stolen to survive. But when I made it into the academy, I was somebody. I represented something great. And I did it on my own.

"I was at the top of my class, and I was succeeding. I had dreams and plans to change the face of the republic, but now, I've lost everything. There's no going back, and it's all because I made a stupid decision. My life is over. I don't have a future anymore, Buffy."

Buffy stayed silent as she felt the impact of the young man's decision hit her. As she thought, she absently scratched underneath her slave collar. She and Chewbacca had tried everything to get it off, but so far, nothing had worked. Usually, when they tried, it jolted her with enough voltage that she was knocked unconscious, so lately, they hadn't been trying as hard. Buffy had almost gotten used to it.

She focused for a moment. Han Solo hadn't just saved her life, he'd given up his hopes for a future as well. Buffy didn't really know what to say to make that right, and maybe nothing she would say would make a difference, but she had to try something. She owed the guy after all.

"Han,' she began, than hesitated. Finally, she continued, "you didn't belong with the stormtroopers anyway."

Whatever he had been expecting, that was certainly not it. His head shot up, and he looked at her surprised. "What?" he asked.

"Face it," she said, shrugging, "they're a bunch of idiots. Not to mention they're the bad guys. I mean, anybody who supports kidnaping little baby wookies and selling them into slavery can't be somebody you'd want to represent anyway. You're way better than that. You actually have a heart, and a soul, and believe me when I tell you I've met critters who don't. You're future isn't over, Han. You've just had a whole bunch of new horizons opened up to you. And you're not alone in it. I mean, Chewbacca and I, we've got your back. Whatever you need, we're here for you."

Han continued to stare at her in shock, and then unexpectedly, he began to laugh. Buffy looked at him askance for a moment, and then she cracked a grin, as he finished and looked at her. "I don't know where you came from, Buffy, but you're free to hang around with me as long as you like."

She grinned wryly at him, and then, growing serious, said, "And you're not the only one who's lost everything. We'll just have to find a new future together, okay?"

Han blinked and wondered once again where this strange little blond girl had come from. She talked funny, she acted funny, she was outrageously strong, and she was wise beyond her years. Han couldn't help but be impressed.

"Let's start over, then," Han grinned at her and stuck out his hand, "Friends?"

Taking it, she grinned back and said, "Friends."

He extended an elbow, and she took it. Together they walked back toward Chewbacca and their freighter.

"Does this mean you're going to teach me the Wookie language now?" Buffy asked as the mist began to shroud their forms.

Han's laughter was her only answer and it was quickly muffled in the darkness.

* * *

Chewbacca was worried. Han Solo had taken off again, and Buffy had volunteered to go find him. Without thinking, Chewbacca had agreed, but now he was pacing with worry. Han was trouble wherever they went, and Buffy found trouble wherever she went. Chewbacca could only imagine the trouble the two of them together would find. Ever since their escape a month ago, Han had been sulking. He hadn't tried to talk to either of them, and as soon as they landed on a planet, he would take off and get drunk. He also had managed to win some money playing Sabacc, but Chewbacca didn't like to support gambling.

Chewbacca was also torn in a different direction. He couldn't see Han staying with them, and now Chewbacca owed not one, but two life debts. He didn't know how to accomplish both debts if Han decided to take off. Chewbacca sighed in frustration and looked at Mr. Gordo, who was sitting on the consul. "If I can just keep from incurring anymore life debts, things should be fine," he muttered at the robot.

"No kidding," Mr. Gordo snorted in a buffy-like way.

"Watch it," Chewbacca growled. Hearing the robot sound like Buffy, just made him worry more.

"If they're not back in five minutes, I'm going to..." just than, Chewbacca heard the sound of Buffy and Han's voices approaching, and could that be...laughter?

Chewbacca stared in stunned surprise as Han and Buffy entered the ship, linked arm in arm. Han's whole countenance had changed, and Buffy looked equally as happy.

"What happened?" Chewbacca questioned. Mr. Gordo quickly translated.

Buffy elbowed Han gently in the side, and said, "Han just got his issues worked out, that's all."

Han looked like he was about to argue, but then he just grinned and shrugged. Chewbacca celebrated. It looked like Han was going to be staying around after all.

* * *

Commander Nyklas sat in his chair, massaging his sore throat. He was lucky to be alive. Darth Vader had not been happy to find the Emperor's Prize gone when he had arrived. He had used that creepy force magic to choke Nyklas to an inch of his life, and now, two weeks later, his throat still hurt. Nyklas was lucky that the Emperor had stopped Vader, or he'd be dead now.

The Emperor. Nyklas shuddered as he remembered that encounter. The Emperor himself had come to Nyklas' ship, and Nyklas had disappointed him. After Darth Vader had choked him to an inch of his life, Nyklas had shown Darth Vader and the Emperor all the footage he had of the girl, and the Emperor's eyes had gleamed with something dangerous as he had viewed the footage. Nyklas had never been in his presence before, and though he looked deceptively fragile, Nyklas could feel the power rolling off him in waves.

"She is who we felt, my apprentice," the emperor had croaked at Darth Vader, and Vader had nodded, his breathing loud in the silence. "She will be my greatest prize. Post a bounty. Tell all the bounty hunters that they shall be rewarded greatly for her capture."

"And Nyklas," the Emperor had crooned, turning his attention on the Commander,. Nyklas had gulped and stuttered, "Y-y-yes, my Lord?"

"Until she is recovered, your sole purpose of existing will be to find her. If you succeed, you shall be forgiven. If you fail, well, let's just say that Lord Vader will not be so kind next time."

Nyklas had nodded frantically. The Emperor had smiled and the two of them had left his ship, leaving Nyklas with his new orders. Nyklas' heart burned with hate for Solo. He could only imagine how different things would have been if that cocky little pilot hadn't interfered. He would make him pay when he found them. They would all pay.

* * *

"So, what's the plan now?" Buffy asked. "I mean, what's the goal of our trio here? Isn't that why you wanted me to fetch Solo?"

Chewbacca roared and waved his hairy arms, and Buffy waited patiently for the translation, longing for the day when she could just understand Chewbacca herself.

"He says that we have a freighter. Why not use it?"

"Hey," Han said, "now we're talking. Before I joined the academy, I used to be in the smuggling business, and I was a darned good one too."

"Sure you were," Buffy said sweetly. Then she frowned and said, "But isn't smuggling, oh, I don't know, illegal?"

Han grinned, "Buffy, Buffy. You're the one who just said that the Empire is evil. Thus, breaking evil laws is a good thing, right?"

Stunned by his baffling logic, Buffy just stared at him for a moment, and then cracked a huge grin. "So, you're saying we smuggle things that the Empire doesn't want passed around. And then, maybe while we're at it, we can see what other nasty ways we can upset Jolly Old Nyklas and all his friends."

Chewbacca smiled a toothy smile and bellowed.

"Exactly," Mr. Gordo translated.

Han threw his arm around Buffy's shoulders and said, "Does that still trip up your moral wire?"

"Nah," Buffy said, "that just makes it wriggle in a pleasant way."

"Well," Han said, "now all that remains is to name our future gold mine of a ship?"

Buffy looked around and then said, "How about Dreamer?"

Chewbacca growled his agreement, and Han nodded. Maybe this endeavor was just a dream bound to fail, but he was going to stick with it. After all, he had nothing else to lose.


	11. Chapter 10: And He Comes

A/N: So, here, only a week later, is another chapter. Hope you enjoy. Thanks to those who continue to review and keep me going, and thank you to the new viewers who've just begun to read my story. Hope you enjoy this next chapter. I think it might make things a little more interesting. Be prepared for the appearance of a cannon character.

Chapter 10

2.6 BBY

Han Solo sat at the table and fingered his blaster. His clothing had changed in the past two years, and he now wore a white shirt with a black vest over the top. Around his waist, attached to his belt was a blaster holster, brown pants led down to knee-high brown boots. He was extremely comfortable and confident. Since he, Buffy, and Chewie had teamed up, things had gone really well. They were making quite a name for themselves. Some of the deals that Han agreed to, Buffy wasn't entirely comfortable with, and Han couldn't say he blamed her. At times, the things they smuggled would have been illegal in any era.

Han fingered the bag of credits at his side and smirked. If this kept up, he could buy a new ship soon. He didn't want just any ship though. He wanted a ship that would outrace any Imperial TIE fighter and hide cargo from any suspicious dealer. He was keeping his eyes open, but so far, he hadn't quite found the ship of his dreams.

He heard a disturbance start on the other side of the room, and without looking, he knew Buffy was coming. She caused a stir wherever she went, and he had to admit, that the last two years hadn't hurt her already good looks. She walked toward him, but in all honesty, the word walk didn't do it justice. Her every movement was smooth, and it was more of a predatory glide. Her every step emanated confidence, and her blond hair was just below her shoulders as it bounced in a sultry way. Buffy's clothes mimicked Han's in a way, but hers were definitely made for a woman. Her vest was a little more form fitting, and her blasters hung a little lower. Her shirt opened to show her neck. In the two years since that day when they were captured, Buffy, Han, and Chewbacca had tried everything to get the slave collar off, but finally, Buffy decided to just disguise it as a necklace. It no longer looked liked a slave collar, it looked like an expensive piece of jewelry. It accentuated her throat, and gleamed in the light of the room. Her pants were also tighter, but still decent.

Though she looked amazing, Han was very protective, and over time, many potential suitors had learned to back off before the Wookie and the large Correlian got involved.

The eighteen-year-old settled herself down next to Han and smiled sweetly at their customer. Her face had lost a lot of its baby-fat, and now she could only be called beautiful. She comfortably placed her arm on Han's shoulder and said, "So, what the cargo today?"

Their client lost the ability to speak. Han smiled. There might have been a time where he was attracted to Buffy, but they had instead settled into a comfortable brother/sister relationship. Her charms no longer worked on him, which was lucky, or she would have gotten away with all sorts of nonsense.

Finally, their client seemed to regain his tongue. He was a large humanoid alien, with four arms instead of two, and he greened lecherously at Buffy as he turned his mind back to the conversation on hand.

"It's just a shipment of Drakma Meat heading to the Eighth Quadrant. It must get there before the end of the month, and you know what that means."

Han grinned and winked at Buffy. "That means we go through the Cloistra Asteroid Belt. Think we can handle that, Buffy?"

"What's the price?" Buffy asked, her face not giving away an ounce of her excitement. She did so love those asteroid belts.

"Five thousand credits if its delivered on time. Two thousand now, and three thousand there."

"Twelve thousand," Buffy stated flatly. "It's a dangerous trip. You won't find another ship and crew who can make it at half the speed."

"Seven thousand," the creature haggled back. "Maybe not at quite the speed, but still in plenty of time. You don't have a monopoly you know."

As Buffy and the creature haggled, Han just sat back and watched. The girl certainly had changed since he had first met her. She was more powerful than ever, and though Han loved to watch the nightly sparring matches between her and the Wookie, he loved even more to watch the sparring matches between her and the customers. They never came out on top.

"Ten thousand, five hundred it is," the creature sighed. Then he glowered and said, "If it's not there on time, you will owe me twice that."

Buffy smiled charmingly at the creature and patted him on one of his four hands. "Don't you worry," she said, "we're worth every credit."

The creature grumbled, but seemed content with the price. They each shook and then Han gave the creature directions to _Dreamer_ so that he could bring his cargo there.

Han smiled as we watched Buffy's face light up, the girl coming to the forefront as she grabbed his hands and danced around with him. "Cloistra Asteroid Belt, here we come!" she laughed and then she released one of his hands and pulled him toward the exit with the other one.

No, Han speculated as he followed her toward the _Dreamer_, it wasn't even the changes in her face that made her seem so different. It was the confidence she had in herself. When he had first met her, she had seemed out of place, lost even. Now, she knew who she was and where she fit in. She was still the same person, but she was happy. Han was glad to see that. Occasionally, looks of sadness would flit across her face, but they were brief, and he or Chewbacca were quickly able to distract her from thoughts of the past.

Just before they reached the exit, a man stepped in front of Buffy and raised his hands to show that he held no weapon. Han moved forward quickly to stand shoulder to shoulder to her as she tensed slightly. In the past two years, they had often ran into imperial troopers, and had been forced to avoid more than one bounty hunter.

The man in front of them however, seemed to be deliberately trying to put them at ease. Buffy appeared to relax as he continued to hold his hands up, but Han knew how quickly she could react if the situation demanded it.

"Well?" Buffy finally asked, "Are you looking for a hand-out?" She sounded slightly breathless, and Han glanced at her from the corner of his eye. He was surprised to find a faint blush on her cheeks, and he looked at the man in front of them, trying to figure out what had caused Buffy's strange reaction.

The man was tall. He looked to be in his late twenties, and his skin was tan. Brown hair covered his head in a messy way, and he wore brown pants and knee-high boots. He wore a tight white shirt, and Han could see that the man was strong, but that didn't explain Buffy's reaction, unless...

Han's eyes widened as he looked at Buffy one more time. She didn't find him...attractive...did she? They had been to many planets, but this was the first time Han had seen Buffy react in such a way to another human. As for himself, Han was not very impressed.

The man smiled, and Han heard Buffy suck in her breath slightly. That only made Han tense up some more. If Buffy's guard was down, Han would have to be twice as diligent. There was no way he was letting anyone take advantage of her youth.

"No handouts are necessary, thank you. I just wanted to talk to you, Buffy Summers."

"And who exactly are you?" Buffy asked, her voice firm again and her eyes hard as she gazed suspiciously at the man. Relieved that she was back to normal, Han returned his full attention to the man and waited for his answer.

The man's grin broadened. "My name is Boba Fett, at your service," he said, and elegantly bowed. Buffy bowed her head briefly, a faint blush in her cheeks again.

"I have heard of you," she admitted, "you're pretty famous as a bounty hunter. Tell me, what are you after today?"

"Only a moment of your time. You and your crew have become well known. I would like to buy you a drink and speak to you for a moment."

Usually, Han could predict the number of seconds it would take Buffy to laugh in his face and leave the would-be suitor in the dust, but as he waited for her response, the pause continued, and surprised, he turned to her again. She was nervously biting her lip, and her eyes, though still guarded seemed to be considering.

"Alright," she said.

Han felt his jaw drop. "What?" he said, outraged.

"I'll just be a few minutes, Han," she said and Han grew angry as Boba's grin widened again.

"No," Han growled. "We've got to leave now, Buffy."

Buffy looked surprised, and then murmured to Boba, "Just a moment, please."

Pulling Han to the side, she muttered, "What's wrong with you?"

"Me?" Han said, angry, "What's wrong with you? When's the last time you've been willing to give one of these scum bags the time of day?"

Buffy's green eyes clouded for a moment, and then she smiled at Han and murmured. "Just trust me okay? I'll be careful."

"Fine," Han growled, "I'll be right back with Chewy. He'll scare that bounty hunter off."

"Han!" Buffy said, here eyes wide in shock. "I'm eighteen! I know what I'm doing."

"Sure you do." Han sighed and ran his hand through his hair. He sighed again, and then said, "Half an hour."

"What?" Buffy said.

"I'll give you half an hour. If you're not back to the ship by then, Chewy and I will come and rip his arms off. After that we're leaving for the trip."

"Thank you, Han!" Buffy said, and impulsively hugged him. "I'll be there in a minute."

Han glared at Boba one more time. He had heard of Boba, and though his reputation claimed that he was the best, they also told of his ruthlessness. Han worried about leaving Buffy with him, but he knew how capable she was, so he crushed his worries and marched out to their ship.

Buffy turned, relieved and looked once again at the handsome man in front of her. If Han had pressed her, she wouldn't have been able to explain why she had agreed to talk to Boba, but she couldn't help the blush that spread over her cheeks as she looked at him again. In a way, he reminded her of Angel. He seemed to smile more frequently that she remembered Angel doing, but she could see the darkness behind his gaze that intrigued her and set her slayer senses humming. She walked back toward him, and she could see that he admired the way that she moved. She grinned, and he extended his elbow to her. She took it and he led her over to a booth. He ordered them two drinks and then they sat.

"So, Boba," Buffy said, "don't insult my intelligence. Why are you really here?"

Boba smiled, and traced an old scar in the table and instead of answering, he said, "I'm surprised you agreed to speak to me. I had heard..." then, turning his brown eyes toward her, he grinned and said, "Never mind."

Then, he leaned back and became more business like. "You and your crew have become famous throughout the Empire. As traders and smugglers. Your reputation is nearly as impressive as my own."

"I guess I'll take that as a compliment," Buffy said,

"Yes, it was meant as such," Boba said. "I am in fact seeking your services. I am looking for someone. A young woman. She would be about your age. I have a picture here. Perhaps you would be able to tell me if you have seen her before."

Boba pulled a picture out of his pant pocket and displayed it in front of Buffy. To her surprise she looked upon herself a couple years previous. She knew when the picture had been taken, she was in her cell where she had met Han. The slave collar adorned her neck, and her expression was angry. Buffy couldn't help but remember the feelings of helplessness that had filled her at that time.

Trying to maintain her Sabacc face, she handed the picture back to Boba. "Sorry, I've never seen her before," she said.

"Interesting," Boba said, and tucked the picture away again. At that moment, the drinks came, and Boba took his and sipped a little from it. He winked at the waitress, and she smiled back at him. Buffy rolled her eyes, and took a large swig from her own cup. Alcohol had never affected her slayer mentality much. However, her every sense was on alert. She didn't look that much different from the girl in the picture, and she suspected that Boba knew full well who she was when he had presented the picture to her.

"That's an interesting necklace," he finally said, after a moment of silence. "Where did you get it?"

"Tatooine," she said. It was the first planet that had popped into her head, and it seemed as good a place as any. She sipped a bit more of her drink, but at that moment, she felt it begin to take effect. With a start, she pushed it away, spilling it all over the table.

"What did you do?" she growled, as the world began to spin a bit. She shook her head and it straightened out, and she shoved her way to a standing position. "I'm gonna kick your..."

"Well, well," Boba interrupted her, "I'm surprised that you are still standing. It seems the rumors of your strength are true. But regardless, I'm going to have to ask you to come with me."

He stood easily from the other side of the table and advanced toward her. Feeling as though she were moving through molasses, Buffy was barely able to dodge his movements. He seemed surprised that she could move at all. Her senses were clouded, and she was unable to use her slayer senses to her full extent, but her body was well-conditioned. You don't train every day with a Wookie and remain helpless.

Boba was impressed. Though her eyes seemed a little glazed, the woman moved gracefully from stance to stance as she parried his attempts to grab her. He was glad that he had paid the waitress to put a little something in her cup. He would be interested to fight her at full power, but something told him he would have been the worse for it. He had heard what her companion had told her about the half hour time limit, and if his plan was to succeed, he would need to have her in his ship long before that. The other patrons of the Cantina watched, but would not interfere.

"If you try to touch me," she slurred, "Chewbacca will rip your arms off."

Boba once again attempted to reach for her arm, and he was stunned to suddenly find her foot planted in his gut at shocking force. He managed to grab her foot to keep himself from falling backwards, and she twisted it out of his grip. However, as she spun around to regain her balance, he managed to move in and grab her wrist, attempting to twist her around and trap her arm behind her.

He was stunned when she back flipped over his head, and managed to pull his arm behind his back. Because she was much shorter than him, he was forced to crouch a bit to keep her from pulling his arm out of his socket. Impressed, he turned his head toward her and looked into her face. He saw the triumphant gleam that filled her expression, and couldn't help the flush of heat that ran through him as he looked at her eyes.

"Most of the time, though," she said, sounding a bit drunk, "I don't need Chewbacca's hel..." her sentence was cut off midword as he lifted his arm and spun around, grabbing her other wrist. Then, without a moment's hesitation, he kissed her.

Her eyes opened in stunned surprise. It had been years since she had last been kissed. Her slightly drugged body responded and she relaxed her grip on his wrist.

Boba for a moment forgot what he was doing. He forgot all about the reward. He released her wrist and planted a hand on her cheek instead. Then abruptly, he found himself flying through the air as a bellow filled his ears.

A monstrous hairy Wookie stood between him and the girl. The Wookie bellowed at him in severely threatening tones, and Boba quickly scooted back. One drugged girl he could maybe handle, but if the Wookie was here, the Corellian wouldn't be far off either. It was a slight setback, but Boba Fett was nothing if not flexible.

"Well, I guess that ends our little dance," he said, standing and brushing off his pants. "I'll catch you later, Buffy," he said, the double meaning to his words angering the already furious Wookie. Buffy still looked a bit stunned, and one of her hands went up to touch her lips. Boba grinned and vanished into the crowd.

Han appeared a moment later, shaking Buffy slightly as she continued to stare off after the Bounty Hunter. "Are you alright?" he asked.

"Mmm...fine," she slurred. "He drugg'd mmm with somethin'." With a growl, Chewbacca picked here up and carried her back toward their ship. Buffy inneffectually pounded on his chest and set, "I c'n walk."

"It's a good thing you came and got me," Chewbacca snarled, "That man was up to no good. He...kissed...her!"

"I can't figure out why she agreed to meet with him anyway," Han agreed, his face set in a scowl. "That kind of mistake could have cost her. He must have given her quite the dose to get her to this state. A dose like that would have knocked a regular human out. Even with us heading straight back, he would have been long gone before we returned. What did he want anyway?"

"We'll have to ask Buffy when she's more coherent," the Wookie said gently as he watched Buffy pass out in his arms. She snuggled toward the warmth of him furry chest, and Chewy felt his heart melt. If anything had happened to her...

He gently laid her in her bed and left her to sleep. When she woke up, she would probably have a headache, but at least she was safe. Which was more than he could say for Boba Fett if he every got his hands on him.

* * *

Boba Fett's smile dropped away as he watched the Dreamer take off, and he silently followed in Slave I. His lips still tingled from their recent contact, and he couldn't help but let his thoughts stray back to that woman. He hadn't expected her to be so...mature. From the picture, he thought he would be dealing with a little girl. Instead, he had found a young woman. He couldn't believe that his body had betrayed him at the moment he should have been able to capture her. Though he regretted the loss, he couldn't manage to regret the kiss. Boba Fett never failed, and the reward for this one could ensure that he would never had to work again if he didn't want to.

She was an impressive woman. He had seen her the first time a few months ago on a different planet. She had kicked a man through a wall that had been hitting on her. His brief look at her face reminded him of the picture, and he had been almost certain at that point that she was the one he was looking for. After a few more months of watching and waiting, he felt that he had created the perfect plan to trap her. He had had the waitress place a near fatal dose in her drink, worried that it would be too much. Now he knew not to underestimate her again. Next time, he would up his game to the next level, and find a way to get rid of the Wookie and the arrogant Correllian.


	12. Chapter 11: Gambling

Chapter 11

Two weeks later

Buffy steered the ship effortlessly through the asteroids, nearly at the end of their journey. They still had a week left until the month ended, and they were ahead of schedule. With her refined slayer senses, it was far too easy to avoid colliding with the asteroids. Dreamer responded well, but Buffy knew Han wanted a different ship. They just hadn't found the right one yet. At the thought of Han, a frown appeared on Buffy's face.

Han had been upset with her ever since the day in the Cantina with Boba Fett. Chewbacca had been too, but he hadn't complained about it nearly as much. Han currently was up with the gun keeping an eye out for asteroids that got too close, and Chewbacca was in the other pilot seat. Mr. Gordo was sitting on her shoulder; alert, but quiet. The ship was small, and though the cargo hold could contain quite a bit, occasionally they would have to turn down a job because their small vessel just didn't have the room. Even now, the Drakma meat spilled out of the cargo area and into their living space. The smell was pungent, and Buffy accelerated the ship all the faster, eager to be rid of it.

"Is he still angry?" Buffy asked, gracefully dodging another asteroid that appeared in their path.

Chewbacca grunted.

Buffy sighed. She had learned many aspects of the Wookie language, and Mr. Gordo scarcely had to translate for Chewbacca anymore, but some parts of the Wookie culture still baffled her. Such as her current problem.

"Look, Chewbacca," she said, "I said I was sorry. Please can't we just get over this? It's over and done with. I'm fine."

Chewbacca sighed. He had a hard time staying angry with Buffy, and finally, he said, "The problem is that it's not over," he rumbled, "he knows you are the one who escaped from the empire. Our main defense has been that the Empire never knew that Buffy Summers and 'the Emperor's Prize' were the same person. If that information leaks, we'll be hounded at every stop."

Buffy groaned, having already heard the Wookie's concerns before and said, "I'm pretty sure he knew who I was before he contacted me. Besides, I doubt he'll tell."

Chewbacca's blue eyes widened in surprise, and he asked, "Why not?"

"Well, bounty hunters want the bounty, right?" At Chewbacca's nod, she continued, "Thus, the less people that know, the more chance Fett will get the reward. See, it's not in his best interest to tattle."

Chewbacca had to concede that she had a point, but with a bellow, he pointed out that they would still have to watch out for Boba Fett, and he was not a force to be taken lightly.

Buffy nodded and turned her focus back on the asteroids. As Boba Fett's features crossed her mind, she couldn't help but blush at her recollection of that kiss. Though her memory of that fight was fuzzy, she distinctly remembered the moment when he had kissed her. It had shocked her enough that her thoughts had been clear for a few amazing seconds. Then there had been a roar, and everything had been fuzzy again. Quite literally, Buffy thought as she gazed at her furry companion. The Dreamer left the asteroids at that moment, and Buffy could see the planet ahead of them where they would drop off their cargo.

"There's the Eight Quadrant," Buffy said. "I can't wait to get rid of this Drakma meat. It stinks to high heaven."

Chewbacca agreed with a snort and he moved off to prepare Han for their landing. To his sensitive nose, the Drakma meat had been nearly overwhelming, and he couldn't wait to scrub all traces of it from the ship.

* * *

Boba Fett dodged another asteroid, swearing angrily as it nicked his ship. He couldn't figure out how the ship in front of him so effortlessly dodged all of the asteroids. Like every Asteroid Belt, the asteroids traveled in random patterns, impossible to predict. Though Boba was one of the best pilots, and he could have navigated this field with ease, he would have done so at a much slower speed. The ship in front of him was going nearly full speed, but seemed to flow around the asteroids before any damage was done to the ship. Boba flew at a slower speed, but if he went too slow, he would lose them entirely. He wondered who was flying. The piloting skills of all three were legendary, so it was hard to know which of them could navigate through the most dangerous belt in the galaxy like a two-year-old taking a walk in the park. Maybe this bounty wouldn't be as easy as he thought. However, a hundred million credits were well worth it.

* * *

The last of the Drakma meat was taken off the ship and Chewbacca sighed in relief. However, Han seemed antsy.

"Hey, Chewy?" he said.

Chewbacca sighed. Not long after they had met, Han had started calling him Chewy. Chewbacca didn't mind, but sometimes he wished Han would be a little more respectful of his given name.

"What?" he grunted.

"How close are we to Cloud City?"

Chewbacca gauged the distance in his mind, and with a few grunts and gestures told him that it was only a coupe of days away.

"Why?" Chewbacca asked.

Han didn't answer. He just looked thoughtful, and then he said, "Call Buffy. We're leaving."

Buffy, who was over accepting the pay for a job well done, heard her name and turned to look at him. Sometimes he was still amazed by how incredible her hearing was. He motioned for her to come over, and she shook the man's hand a final time and walked back toward them.

"What is it?" Buffy asked.

"We're heading to Cloud City. Come on," Han said.

"Why?' Buffy protested as they started back toward their small vessel.

"I'll tell you when we get there," Han said, his smile cocky and eager. Buffy groaned. Anything that Han came up with almost always ended in disaster. However, she was just happy that he was talking to her again, and not griping at her. If this is what it took to keep him happy, then she was willing to play along for now.

* * *

Boba Fett watched as the Dreamer launched into hyperdrive as it cleared the planet. While they had been on the surface, he had landed as well, and placed a small tracking device aboard the vessel. It didn't matter where they went from now on, he could follow them anywhere.

* * *

A couple days later, they landed on Cloud City, Buffy turned to Han and asked, "Now will you tell us what we're doing here?" Han shook his head and laughed as Buffy groaned at him. He stopped laughing abruptly though when she punched him in the shoulder. "Ouch," he said.

Buffy and Chewbacca exited from their ship and both looked at him expectantly.

"Just wander around," he shrugged. "Take a break. I'll be back in a couple of days." And then he took off. Buffy lifted her eyebrow at Chewbacca he shrugged and whuffed.

"You said it," she said, and Mr. Gordo, who sat resting on her shoulder said, "I don't care what he's up to. He's going to get himself into trouble. And a couple of days? Why would he need a couple of days?"

Buffy sighed again. She trusted Han, but she'd seen the bulging bag on his hip. It appeared he'd taken all the earnings from their last trip. Maybe he was going to finally buy a ship. She shrugged. A vacation was a vacation, and she had some shopping to do. She grabbed her 'credit card,' and took off. It wasn't the same as the ones on Earth, but it did the job just fine. At the thoughts of home, a frown crossed her features, and Chewbacca slung one of his hairy limbs over her shoulders. She looked at him gratefully, and impulsively kissed him on the cheek. His fur darkened, and that simple sign of his embarrassment was enough to pull her out of her brief funk. She would trust Han, because if they didn't trust each other, what did they have?"

* * *

Buffy paced angrily back and forth. Han had been gone for three days. This was the fourth day that he had been missing, and she couldn't help but feel worried. She was also furious. When she had gone to purchase things, she had discovered that nearly all the credits on her card had been swiped. She had been stuck with nothing to do, and she blamed Han for it.

"Where is he?" she growled, sounding a bit like Chewbacca on a bad day. Chewbacca was worried as well, and they were guarding a computer terminal as Mr. Gordo hacked into it. Chewbacca had made some modifications to Mr. Gordo in the last two years, and now Mr. Gordo was able to bypass any firewall or encryption. He also had become more sarcastic. Buffy proudly blamed that on herself, though Han tried to take credit as well. Now, however, Mr. Gordo was silent as he sifted through information, trying to find any sign of the Corellian. Finally, he opened his bug-like eyes and glanced at Buffy.

"I...found him, Buffy," he said. The robot seemed hesitant which made Buffy suspicious.

"And?" she demanded.

"Well," Mr. Gordo said slowly, "he's not in trouble. At least not yet."

"What do you mean?" Chewbacca rumbled.

"He might be when you find out what he's doing," Mr. Gordo said, looking petrified.

"And what might that be?" Buffy snarled.

"He is at the Yarith Bespin. It's a hotel. He's...participating in the Cloud City Sabacc Tournament Finals. It's the last round and only he and Lando Calrissian are left."

"Calrissian?' Buffy said, shooting a look at Chewbacca. Chewbacca nodded confirming her thoughts.

"He wouldn't..." Buffy said.

"Oh, yes, he would," Chewbacca growled.

"So, this whole trip was..." Buffy said, her eyes widening.

"I just hope he knows..." Chewbacca worried, and then Buffy grabbed Mr. Gordo, yanking him out of the system, and both she and Chewbacca raced down the hall.

As Mr. Gordo was jolted up and down, he muttered, "Sometimes, even though I speak the language, I still don't know what anyone's talking about."

* * *

Han leaned back and looked at his cards.

It was a good hand. He just needed on more card, and he didn't have to worry about this game. It was going to be tricky though. Lando still hadn't laid down what Han wanted on the table. It was time to raise the stakes.

He added another thousand credits to the pot, bringing the total to 20,000. That was a large pot. Rarely, did it get so large, but Han had credits to spare. He'd already earned roughly that much during the last three days of this tournament, and if his luck held out, he would walk out of here with more than just money.

Lando looked at the pot, looked at his cards, and then grinned. "Han," he said, "why don't we make this interesting. I feel like being generous today. I see your credits, and I'll add several thousand more, but I'm going to throw in something different as well." Lando produced a marker and Han tried to hide his excitement. This is what he'd been waiting for.

"It's a marker. It states that should you win, you have the pick of any ship in my lot in Nar Shaddaa. Is that agreeable?"

Han looked thoughtful and after a few moments nodded. He had seen which ship the Calrissian had brought, and Han already knew how he'd use the situation to his advantage. All he needed was one final card. Lando must have a good hand if he was willing to go so far. Han just needed one better.

The final draw arrived and keeping his face neutral, Han picked the card. He remained motionless staring at his draw, and sighed. Lando grinned at his sigh and then drew his own card. His face betrayed nothing as he entered the card back into his deck.

"Reveal," toned the machine above them.

"Pure sabacc." Han said, flourishing his deck. Lando's face dropped, and but he revealed his cards. Han swallowed. Almost nothing beat Pure Sabacc...except the Idiot's Array, and Lando had almost achieved that. He had been one card off. If Lando had gotten that one card, Han would have lost. It was a narrow margin, but he had done it.

"Congratulations," Lando said, extending a hand, and Han took it, knowing that what he was going to do next was going to upset the other man even more.

"Thank you," Han said.

"Now, which of my ships would you like?" Lando asked.

Without hesitating, Han answered, "The Millenium Falcon."

Lando's face froze and then, deceptively quietly, he said, "That is my personal ship. It is not part of the deal."

"You said, 'any ship in you lot in Nar Shaddaa'. Is that not correct?"

"Yes, but..." Lando protested.

"You flew a cruise ship here, did you not?"

"Yes, I did, but.."

"Which implies that the Falcon is on your lot at Nar Shaddaa. Is it there, or isn't it?"

Land sighed and said, "It is."

"Are you man of your word or aren't you?" Han asked, a small smirk of triumph on his lips.

Lando glared at him. "You are certainly a difficult man, Solo," Lando said, "but I will honor our agreement. Just don't expect to keep my ship for too long."

Han grinned, and they shook hands again. Lando looked upset, but resigned as he said, "I'll let them know you're coming to pick it up." Lando sighed and scrubbed his face with his hands. "Just one more card," he muttered, and Han nodded as he felt again how close he had come to losing it all. Buffy would have killed him.

Speak of the devil, he thought, echoing something that he had heard her say before. She suddenly appeared, and Han could tell that she was angry. Lando however stared captivated. A furious Buffy was something truly incredible to behold. Her eyes glittered dangerously and her movements became distinctly predatory. Her presence had a power that was easily felt, and sometimes it even cowed Han. Not right now though, he was feeling too pleased with himself.

"Han Solo!" she raged, and a few seconds later, Chewbacca appeared behind her, huffing as he tried to catch his breath. Han winced. She only used his full name when he was in serious trouble. Before she could say another word, Lando swept in front of her, oblivious of the danger he was in.

"Incredible," Lando breathed, and bowed deeply, stopping Buffy's tirade before it had truly begun. She looked surprised and Buffy seemed to deflate a bit. Han could only hope that Lando's distraction would save him.

"And what might your name be?" Lando asked her.

"Er, Buffy," she said, "and who are you?"

"I'm the man who just lost to your friend here," Lando said, gesturing at Han. "Allow me to introduce myself. I am Lando Calrissian. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance."

Han rolled his eyes. Buffy had way too much class for this dope. Oh, he respected Lando, but in his opinion, no one was good enough for Buffy. She deserved an honest, gentlemanly fellow. For all his smooth talk, Lando was as much a smuggler as the next bloke.

Buffy rolled her eyes a bit in an unintentional mimicry of Han and then smiled and said, "Yes, I have heard of you. Pleased to meet you, please move."

Surprised, Lando did as she asked, and without further ado, she marched up to Han and stuck a finger in his face. Though she scarcely came to his shoulder, the sheer power in her small frame always made him feel small when he was being lectured.

"Han," she growled, "you stole my money!"

"I was going to give it back...with interest," he added, seeing that her anger was not smothered by that idea. And then Chewbacca began to tear into him too. Both lectured him for a while, while Lando stood by and watched with a smirk on his face. Probably some form of revenge.

Finally, to stop to flow of words, Han raised his hands and said, "Enough already!" Both Buffy and Chewbacca stopped, obviously waiting for him to explain himself.

"Look," he said, "maybe it was a bad idea, but I won, okay. And we have a new ship."

Surprised, Buffy looked at Lando, and back at Han. "You don't mean the..."

Han didn't have to respond. He just smiled and nodded. Buffy couldn't help her little girly scream as she hugged Han and grinned broadly at Lando. "Thank you," she told Lando, and then stepped forward, threw her arms around Landos' neck and kissed him on the cheek. Then she ran out of the room, and Chewbacca shrugged and followed her.

Lando stared after her in shock, touching his cheek. "That almost made losing to you worth it."

"I know what you mean," Han said.

"You know," Lando said, "I might have_ given_ you the Falcon in exchange for some of that."

"Trust me," Han said, with his trademark smirk, "_that_ is not mine to give."

* * *

Buffy was halfway back to the Dreamer when he stepped into her path. In her excitement, she had taken a different path and had lost Chewbacca on the way. At the sight of the man in front of her, she felt her heart beat involuntarily quicken.

"Hello, Buffy," he said.

"Boba," she greeted, inclining her head.

Boba Fett grinned. "I've missed you," he said. He was dressed in armor. It was painted green and it accentuated his movements in a way that caused her to blush again. She had heard of his armor, and of the helmet that he normally wore, but the helmet was no where to be seen. Instead, his handsome face with its dark eyes stared at her.

Irritated with herself, she said, "What are you doing here?"

He stepped closer, and she tensed again, her hands balling into fists. He grinned and stepped even closer. He was now in grabbing distance, and she went to take a step back, but he lifted a finger to her cheek and touched it. She froze.

"If I recall," he whispered, "last time we were interrupted."

He leaned forward, and for a moment Buffy felt like a deer trapped in headlights as he lips once again met hers. Then, forcefully, she shoved him away. He flew and hit the wall, grunting with impact. She could tell it had hurt him, even through the armor.

"Ouch," he said, as he got to his feet. "I think this is why I drugged you last time. You were much less feisty."

Buffy rolled her eyes and said, "And that made you far more competent. Without the drugs, you don't stand a chance."

"Watch me," Boba said, and flew forward, fists flying. His suit seemed to enhance his movements, and he was far more powerful than a regular human. Buffy and he danced, both testing the other, learning about the other from their fighting styles.

Buffy dodged a blow to her head that would have disoriented her and reciprocated with a punch of her own that he was barely able to avoid. Both were holding back, but Buffy's slayer side roared with joy as the dance continued. Buffy always learned a lot about her opponents as they fought.

From sparring with Han she had learned that behind his rough exterior, he was a dreamer. He tried and he loved and he had been hurt. His joking was a front for a dark, difficult past, but he had overcome that part of him, and now it just served to defend him. He didn't fight dirty, but he thought outside the box, and even though she was more powerful, she always enjoyed the variations he thought up. However, underneath his hard exterior, he was just a big softie, and he never really tried to hurt her, which meant she always won.

From Chewbacca, she learned that he didn't tolerate nonsense. He was straightforward, and though he seemed bestial, he was more civilized than most people she met. He had a great sense of humor, but honor was what drove him and the idea of trying to do what was right. She usually had to resort to trickery to take him down, because that was something he wouldn't do. Though occasionally, he would surprise her.

Boba was a different story. He was ruthless and efficient. No movements were wasted and every motion was perfectly executed. Buffy, who had always been an unconventional fighter, knew that his technique was perfect. If she had been a normal human, she would have been unable to defend herself. However, she sank back into her Slayer mode and watched him as though he suddenly was punching in slow motion. Around him, she saw something bend away, and he hands traveled as though in tunnels. As his body moved, she could see ripples of that same something, and she assumed it was air moving away, but it seemed different somehow. She easily moved her head out of the way, and continued to watch him as he spun to kick her. She reached out slowly, and caught his foot as it was coming, and twisted it in the other direction, sending him spinning away from her and into the wall at bone-breaking force. In the last two years, her slayer senses had grown, and sometimes, if she really concentrated, it was almost as if she could hear people's thoughts. Occasionally, during her negotiations, she pushed a little to get the deal she was looking for, and usually people agreed to her demands, their minds bending as they complied

Curious she tried to look into his mind, and all she found was amusement. There seemed to be a block where normally she would be able to see his mind, and it prevented her from hearing his thoughts. The something, for the moment she decided she would call it pudding, seemed to pull away from his mind, and she was fascinated over this fact. He had picked himself off the floor and was sprinting toward her again, and she watched in slow motion as he jumped to tackle her. She dropped down, spun around, and kicked him in the small of his back, as he flew right through where she had been standing. He actually cried out and the force that he was already using to tackle her was double and he flew head-first into another wall. He didn't move.

Buffy shook her head, and her strange perception disappeared. The pudding became invisible to her sight again, and she worried that she had killed him. Cautiously, she walked forward, and peered down at his still form. She couldn't tell if he was breathing. Gently, she put her hand under his shoulder, and started to turn him over.

He moved quickly, grabbing her hand, he leapt on top of her, and she found herself on her back with him on top of her. Grunting, she tried to find leverage to push him off, but he knew well how to subdue a person. He was scowling a bit, and blood ran down the side of his face from his impact into the wall. Buffy struggled and then stopped and looked at him.

"So, what now?" she asked. "You want to try kissing me again?"

His scowl disappeared and he said, "As a matter of fact, yes; but...that can wait until later." He eased off her slightly to get something from his belt, but as he did so, her hand was freed. An instant later, he found himself once more on his back, and she was on her feet facing him.

He looked sheepish, and climbed unsteadily to his own feet. "You are incredible," he said.

"You're not so bad yourself," Buffy admitted.

As they faced off, Buffy suddenly heard her name being called. She turned her head slightly and looked down the hall. Then she grinned at Boba, and said, "My big brother's coming. You'd better run. He's not going to be happy to see you."

"What, you mean your hairy pet?" Boba taunted.

Buffy's look froze and her eyes turned to absolute ice. For the first time, Boba felt a bit of fear. He sensed something dark within her, that would consume him if he got too close, but he held his ground. He had a darkness inside of him as well. The fear disappeared, and he felt a sense of recognition. She was a kindred spirit.

"Don't ever," she hissed, and if looks could kill, he would have been dead on the spot, "speak of Chewbacca that way again. You don't know what he's done for me."

Realizing the dangerous ground he was walking, Boba backed off. "Okay, sorry about that. I didn't mean to insult your friend. I was actually talking about Solo anyway."

Her eyes widened in surprise and an involuntary laugh left her mouth, before she could stop it. She covered her mouth with her hand to hide the smile that was still on her lips. He liked it when she smiled.

At that moment, Han came around the corner only to see a bloody Boba facing Buffy who seemed to be struggling not to laugh.

"Ah," Han said, "looks like you tried to tangle with Buffy at full power. Bad choice, Bounty."

Boba smiled and shrugged, "Seems that way. Another day," he said, winking at Buffy, and then he turned and walked down the hall.

Han looked in surprise and then turned to Buffy, "You're not going to stop him?"

Buffy shrugged. "Whatever," she said, and then she linked arms with him and they headed back toward the ship. "I'm still mad at you, by the way," she told him.

"Me?" Han asked, looking shocked. Buffy's laughter echoed down the hall. Boba who had turned and was now watching from the shadows, couldn't help the smile that played on his lips as he listened to it. Then he turned and walked away. There was still time plenty of time to finish his mission.

* * *

Three Days Later

Han stared. His face broke into a wide grin and he grabbed Buffy's hands and began to dance around the ship. Buffy couldn't help but laugh at the man who had suddenly turned into a young boy.

"It's perfect!" he said, and then he released her and ran into the ship.

Buffy shook her head, still smiling. Then she looked at the ship and said, "So, this is the Millennium Falcon, huh?"

Chewbacca, who was nearly as excited as Han began to go into a long spiel about the different improvements that had been made to the otherwise normal YT-1300f Light Freighter. Buffy listened in fascination. In the last two years, she had learned a lot about space crafts, and though not nearly as proficient as Han or Chewbacca, she was beginning to understand what made them tic. Her love though, was not nearly to the extent as her boys. She mostly loved the weapons. However, occasionally she lost the flow of his explanations in translation, and Mr. Gordo would add a vague comment or two to help her. After he was finished, she found herself very impressed. It was no wonder that Han had coveted this ship since he'd first heard about it. And nearly gambled their entire savings to win it.

"What are we going to do with the Dreamer?" Buffy asked.

"We rent a lot and store it here," Chewbacca thundered. "Just in case."

Buffy nodded. Then she and Chewbacca entered the ship and moved into their new home.

* * *

Boba paced his deck. It had been three days since the Dreamer had entered Nar Shaddaa. Other ships had left, including an old beat up freighter, but there had been no sign of the Dreamer. They should have left by now, but his tracker still showed that their ship was parked on the planet. Unable to wait any longer, he decided to go see what his prey was up to. He followed the signal to a storage unit, and was surprised to find that the dreamer was packed up and looked as though no one intended to use it for a long time.

Grabbing the nearest worker, Boba smashed the creature into a wall and hissed, "The crew that owned this ship, what happened to them?"

The creature gibbered and in a strange flute-like language told him that the had bought a different ship and left this one in storage. The creature gasped in relief as it was dropped, and it scuttled off to do whatever it was the workers did. Boba was angry.

"Very clever," he said. Then he breathed and relaxed. Another set-back, but he had always been good at overcoming obstacles. Being on your own since the age of ten made one independent. Especially if they had managed to survive this long on their own. He would find her, and the next time they met, things would go differently. He would be prepared for her.


End file.
